Air pollution threatens the health of 797 thousand people across 9 districts in Lào Cai. The average PM2.5 level is 32.1 µg/m³—6.4× higher than the WHO guideline.
Brought to you by Amrit Sharma
Lào Cai faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 797 thousand across 9 districts at risk.
The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 32.1µg/m³. That's 6.4 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.
This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 533 cigarettes in a year.
If Lào Cai met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 2.65 years longer.
That's 2.1M years of life stolen from 797 thousand 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 9 most polluted districts in Lào Cai. 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 Lào Cai, sorted by population.
| District | Population | PM2.5 µg/m³ | Years Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bảo Thắng | 128K | 36.2 | 3.1 years |
| Lào Cai | 128K | 36.1 | 3.0 years |
| Văn Bàn | 103K | 31.8 | 2.6 years |
| Bảo Yên | 99K | 33.6 | 2.8 years |
| Bát Xát | 91K | 32.3 | 2.7 years |
| Bắc Hà | 70K | 28.3 | 2.3 years |
| Sa Pa | 69K | 25.7 | 2.0 years |
| Mường Khương | 68K | 28.8 | 2.3 years |
| Si Ma Cai | 41K | 26.1 | 2.1 years |
Showing 9 districts, sorted by population (largest first). PM2.5 values are for 2023. Years lost calculated against WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.