Air pollution threatens the health of 41.2 million people across 35 districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The average PM2.5 level is 38.1 µg/m³—7.6× higher than the WHO guideline.
Brought to you by Amrit Sharma
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 41.2 million across 35 districts at risk.
The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 38.1µg/m³. That's 7.6 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.
This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 632 cigarettes in a year.
If Khyber Pakhtunkhwa met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 3.24 years longer.
That's 133.6M years of life stolen from 41.2 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 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. 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 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, sorted by population.
| District | Population | PM2.5 µg/m³ | Years Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peshawar | 5.0M | 60.2 | 5.4 years |
| Mardan | 2.5M | 55.2 | 4.9 years |
| Mansehra | 2.4M | 22.7 | 1.7 years |
| D. I. Khan | 2.3M | 40.1 | 3.4 years |
| Charsadda | 2.0M | 51.6 | 4.6 years |
| Abbottabad | 1.9M | 25.1 | 2.0 years |
| Nowshera | 1.9M | 52.9 | 4.7 years |
| Swat | 1.7M | 23.0 | 1.8 years |
| Swabi | 1.6M | 55.0 | 4.9 years |
| Kohat | 1.6M | 33.9 | 2.8 years |
| Haripur | 1.6M | 34.2 | 2.9 years |
| Lower Dir | 1.6M | 24.3 | 1.9 years |
| Lakki Marwat | 1.4M | 36.8 | 3.1 years |
| Khyber | 1.3M | 40.4 | 3.5 years |
| Bannu | 1.3M | 40.5 | 3.5 years |
| Bajaur | 1.1M | 23.8 | 1.8 years |
| North Waziristan | 1.1M | 27.4 | 2.2 years |
| Karak | 983K | 33.2 | 2.8 years |
| Mohmand | 880K | 29.0 | 2.4 years |
| Malakand | 852K | 33.8 | 2.8 years |
| South Waziristan | 799K | 24.3 | 1.9 years |
| Buner | 779K | 25.7 | 2.0 years |
| Upper Dir | 735K | 22.6 | 1.7 years |
| Hangu | 689K | 25.2 | 2.0 years |
| Tank | 642K | 36.0 | 3.0 years |
| Shangla | 621K | 22.9 | 1.8 years |
| Kurram | 518K | 27.1 | 2.2 years |
| Batagram | 466K | 23.1 | 1.8 years |
| Orakzai | 339K | 26.6 | 2.1 years |
| Chitral Lower | 300K | 19.7 | 1.4 years |
| Chitral Upper | 138K | 15.8 | 1.1 years |
| Tor Ghar | 71K | 22.1 | 1.7 years |
| Kohistan Lower | 49K | 23.7 | 1.8 years |
| Kolai Palas Kohistan | 47K | 24.2 | 1.9 years |
| Kohistan Upper | 45K | 18.0 | 1.3 years |
Showing 35 districts, sorted by population (largest first). PM2.5 values are for 2023. Years lost calculated against WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.