Air pollution threatens the health of 23.0 million people across 15 districts in Xinjiang Uygur. The average PM2.5 level is 32.5 µg/m³—6.5× higher than the WHO guideline.
Brought to you by Amrit Sharma
Xinjiang Uygur faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 23.0 million across 15 districts at risk.
The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 32.5µg/m³. That's 6.5 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.
This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 539 cigarettes in a year.
If Xinjiang Uygur met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 2.7 years longer.
That's 62.2M years of life stolen from 23.0 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 10 most polluted districts in Xinjiang Uygur. 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 Xinjiang Uygur, sorted by population.
| District | Population | PM2.5 µg/m³ | Years Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kashgar | 4.4M | 45.5 | 4.0 years |
| Ürümqi | 3.0M | 41.2 | 3.6 years |
| Aksu | 2.7M | 28.7 | 2.3 years |
| Ili Kazakh | 2.5M | 24.4 | 1.9 years |
| Khotan | 2.1M | 38.5 | 3.3 years |
| Changji Hui | 1.9M | 33.0 | 2.7 years |
| Bayin'gholin Mongol | 1.4M | 24.6 | 1.9 years |
| Tacheng | 1.3M | 21.7 | 1.6 years |
| Turfan | 659K | 25.7 | 2.0 years |
| Altay | 636K | 8.7 | 0.4 years |
| Hami | 606K | 12.7 | 0.8 years |
| Kizilsu Kirghiz | 557K | 34.2 | 2.9 years |
| Börtala Mongol | 470K | 18.5 | 1.3 years |
| Karamay | 406K | 22.4 | 1.7 years |
| Shihezi | 360K | 35.6 | 3.0 years |
Showing 15 districts, sorted by population (largest first). PM2.5 values are for 2023. Years lost calculated against WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.