PM2.5 stands for particulate matter 2.5 microns or smaller. These particles are 30 times thinner than a human hair and come from car exhaust, power plants, wildfires, and burning fuel. They are small enough to bypass your body's natural defenses and enter your bloodstream.

How does air pollution affect the body?

Air pollution affects virtually every organ in the body. PM2.5 particles enter your lungs, pass into your bloodstream, and travel to your heart, brain, kidneys, liver, and other organs. This causes chronic inflammation, increasing risks of heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, dementia, and many other conditions.

How many people are affected by air pollution?

99% of the global population breathes air that exceeds WHO safety guidelines. Air pollution kills approximately 8 million people every year—more than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined.

Japan's Gifu Air Pollution Report

Overview

Air Pollution in Gifu

Gifu faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 2.0 million across 42 districts at risk.

The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 9.8µg/m³. That's 2.0 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.

This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 163 cigarettes in a year.

Trends

Air Quality Trend

Annual PM2.5 levels from 2014 to 2023. The WHO guideline for safe air is 5 µg/m³.

Health Impact

Life Expectancy Impact

If Gifu met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 0.47 years longer.

That's 917K years of life stolen from 2.0 million people. Years of watching children grow up. Years of building a career. Years of quiet mornings and celebrations.

Lives cut short. Breathing kills.

Most Polluted

Districts with Highest Pollution

The top 10 most polluted districts in Gifu. These areas face the greatest health burden from air pollution.

1.Anpachi
0.7 years lost
2.Kasamatsu
0.7 years lost
3.Hashima
0.7 years lost
4.Ginan
0.6 years lost
5.Mizuho
0.6 years lost
6.Wanouchi
0.6 years lost
7.Kitagata
0.6 years lost
8.Gifu
0.6 years lost
9.Ōgaki
0.6 years lost
10.Godo
0.6 years lost

Exposure

Population Exposure by Pollution Level

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.

< 5 µg/m³

5-10 µg/m³

46.3%

904K

10-15 µg/m³

53.7%

1.0M

15-25 µg/m³

25-35 µg/m³

> 35 µg/m³

Districts

All 42 Districts in Gifu

Complete air quality data for every district in Gifu, sorted by population.

District	Population	PM2.5 µg/m³	Years Lost
Gifu	420K	11.1	0.6 years
Ōgaki	151K	11.1	0.6 years
Kakamigahara	136K	10.8	0.6 years
Tajimi	104K	8.4	0.3 years
Kani	100K	9.0	0.4 years
Seki	84K	9.0	0.4 years
Takayama	82K	7.8	0.3 years
Nakatsugawa	73K	8.1	0.3 years
Minokamo	70K	9.1	0.4 years
Hashima	67K	11.8	0.7 years
Toki	57K	7.8	0.3 years
Mizuho	53K	11.5	0.6 years
Ena	47K	7.8	0.3 years
Motosu	44K	10.4	0.5 years
Gujō	38K	7.0	0.2 years
Mizunami	34K	7.7	0.3 years
Kaizu	33K	10.9	0.6 years
Gero	30K	7.3	0.2 years
Yamagata	30K	8.8	0.4 years
Ibigawa	28K	9.0	0.4 years
Tarui	26K	9.9	0.5 years
Yōrō	24K	10.4	0.5 years
Hida	23K	7.5	0.2 years
Ikeda Town	22K	10.1	0.5 years
Mino	21K	8.2	0.3 years
Godo	20K	10.9	0.6 years
Ono	17K	10.3	0.5 years
Anpachi	17K	11.8	0.7 years
Ginan	13K	11.6	0.6 years
Kitagata	12K	11.2	0.6 years
Wanouchi	10K	11.4	0.6 years
Kawabe	10K	8.4	0.3 years
Yaotsu	9K	8.2	0.3 years
Mitake	8K	8.3	0.3 years
Shirakawa	7K	7.5	0.2 years
Tomika	7K	8.8	0.4 years
Sekigahara	6K	8.0	0.3 years
Kasamatsu	6K	11.8	0.7 years
Hichiso	4K	7.8	0.3 years
Higashishirakawa	2K	7.5	0.2 years
Shirakawa Village	1K	6.7	0.2 years
Sakahogi	683	9.5	0.4 years

Showing 42 districts, sorted by population (largest first). PM2.5 values are for 2023. Years lost calculated against WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.

Breathing in Gifu is Injurious to Health.