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.

Austria's Kärnten Air Pollution Report

Overview

Air Pollution in Kärnten

Kärnten faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 564 thousand across 10 districts at risk.

The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 10µg/m³. That's 2.0 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.

This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 166 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 Kärnten met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 0.5 years longer.

That's 282K years of life stolen from 564 thousand 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 Kärnten. These areas face the greatest health burden from air pollution.

1.Völkermarkt
0.5 years lost
2.Klagenfurt Stadt
0.5 years lost
3.Wolfsberg
0.5 years lost
4.Spittal an der Drau
0.5 years lost
5.Klagenfurt Land
0.5 years lost
6.Villach Stadt
0.5 years lost
7.Villach Land
0.5 years lost
8.Feldkirchen
0.5 years lost
9.Hermagor
0.5 years lost
10.Sankt Veit an der Glan
0.5 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

51.6%

291K

10-15 µg/m³

48.4%

273K

15-25 µg/m³

25-35 µg/m³

> 35 µg/m³

Districts

All 10 Districts in Kärnten

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

District	Population	PM2.5 µg/m³	Years Lost
Klagenfurt Stadt	102K	10.2	0.5 years
Spittal an der Drau	76K	10.0	0.5 years
Villach Land	65K	9.8	0.5 years
Villach Stadt	63K	10.0	0.5 years
Klagenfurt Land	60K	10.0	0.5 years
Sankt Veit an der Glan	54K	9.7	0.5 years
Wolfsberg	53K	10.1	0.5 years
Völkermarkt	42K	10.4	0.5 years
Feldkirchen	30K	9.8	0.5 years
Hermagor	18K	9.8	0.5 years

Showing 10 districts, sorted by population (largest first). PM2.5 values are for 2023. Years lost calculated against WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.

Breathing in Kärnten is Injurious to Health.