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.

Bulgaria's Sofia Air Pollution Report

Overview

Air Pollution in Sofia

Sofia faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 237 thousand across 22 districts at risk.

The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 11.5µg/m³. That's 2.3 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.

This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 191 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 Sofia met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 0.65 years longer.

That's 154K years of life stolen from 237 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 Sofia. These areas face the greatest health burden from air pollution.

1.Bozhurishte
0.8 years lost
2.Dolna Banya
0.8 years lost
3.Kostenets
0.8 years lost
4.Slivnitsa
0.8 years lost
5.Kostinbrod
0.7 years lost
6.Koprivshtitsa
0.7 years lost
7.Dragoman
0.7 years lost
8.Botevgrad
0.7 years lost
9.Elin Pelin
0.7 years lost
10.Samokov
0.7 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

7.5%

18K

10-15 µg/m³

92.5%

219K

15-25 µg/m³

25-35 µg/m³

> 35 µg/m³

Districts

All 22 Districts in Sofia

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

District	Population	PM2.5 µg/m³	Years Lost
Samokov	34K	11.7	0.7 years
Botevgrad	34K	11.8	0.7 years
Elin Pelin	20K	11.7	0.7 years
Kostinbrod	20K	12.3	0.7 years
Svoge	19K	10.3	0.5 years
Ihtiman	18K	11.1	0.6 years
Etropole	12K	9.4	0.4 years
Kostenets	11K	12.9	0.8 years
Slivnitsa	10K	12.8	0.8 years
Bozhurishte	10K	13.3	0.8 years
Pirdop	8K	10.6	0.5 years
Pravets	7K	10.6	0.5 years
Gorna Malina	6K	9.9	0.5 years
Godech	6K	11.5	0.6 years
Zlatitsa	5K	10.5	0.5 years
Dragoman	5K	11.8	0.7 years
Dolna Banya	4K	12.9	0.8 years
Mirkovo	2K	10.2	0.5 years
Koprivshtitsa	2K	12.2	0.7 years
Anton	2K	11.4	0.6 years
Chelopech	2K	10.3	0.5 years
Chavdar	1K	10.9	0.6 years

Showing 22 districts, sorted by population (largest first). PM2.5 values are for 2023. Years lost calculated against WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.

Breathing in Sofia is Injurious to Health.