Air pollution threatens the health of 6.0 million people across 8 districts in Qinghai. The average PM2.5 level is 19.1 µg/m³—3.8× higher than the WHO guideline.
Brought to you by Amrit Sharma
Qinghai faces significant air pollution challenges. 75% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 6.0 million across 8 districts at risk.
The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 19.1µg/m³. That's 3.8 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.
This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 317 cigarettes in a year.
If Qinghai met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 1.39 years longer.
That's 8.3M years of life stolen from 6.0 million people. Years of watching children grow up. Years of building a career. Years of quiet mornings and celebrations.
Lives cut short. Breathing kills.
The top 8 most polluted districts in Qinghai. These areas face the greatest health burden from air pollution.
Distribution of population across different PM2.5 pollution levels. The WHO guideline is 5 µg/m³—only populations below this threshold are breathing safe air.
Complete air quality data for every district in Qinghai, sorted by population.
| District | Population | PM2.5 µg/m³ | Years Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xining | 2.3M | 26.7 | 2.1 years |
| Haidong | 1.5M | 22.8 | 1.7 years |
| Haixi Mongol and Tibetan | 513K | 7.6 | 0.3 years |
| Hainan Tibetan | 470K | 10.8 | 0.6 years |
| Gyêgu Tibetan | 410K | 1.7 | 0.0 years |
| Haibei Tibetan | 289K | 10.5 | 0.5 years |
| Huangnan Tibetan | 268K | 14.7 | 1.0 years |
| Golog Tibetan | 195K | 4.4 | 0.0 years |
Showing 8 districts, sorted by population (largest first). PM2.5 values are for 2023. Years lost calculated against WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.