Breathing in Sachsen is Injurious to Health.

Air pollution threatens the health of 4.1 million people across 13 districts in Sachsen. The average PM2.5 level is 7.7 µg/m³—1.5× higher than the WHO guideline.

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Brought to you by Amrit Sharma

Overview

Air Pollution in Sachsen

Sachsen faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 4.1 million across 13 districts at risk.

The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 7.7µg/m³. That's 1.5 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.

This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 128 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 Sachsen met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 0.27 years longer.

That's 1.1M years of life stolen from 4.1 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 Sachsen. These areas face the greatest health burden from air pollution.

  • 1.Görlitz
    0.3 years lost
  • 2.Dresden
    0.3 years lost
  • 3.Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge
    0.3 years lost
  • 4.Bautzen
    0.3 years lost
  • 5.Chemnitz
    0.3 years lost
  • 6.Meißen
    0.3 years lost
  • 7.Mittelsachsen
    0.3 years lost
  • 8.Leipzig (Kreisfreie Stadt)
    0.3 years lost
  • 9.Nordsachsen
    0.2 years lost
  • 10.Leipzig
    0.2 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
0%
0
5-10 µg/m³
100%
4.1M
10-15 µg/m³
0%
0
15-25 µg/m³
0%
0
25-35 µg/m³
0%
0
> 35 µg/m³
0%
0
Districts

All 13 Districts in Sachsen

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

DistrictPopulationPM2.5 µg/m³Years Lost
Leipzig (Kreisfreie Stadt)608K
7.6
0.3 years
Dresden558K
8.3
0.3 years
Erzgebirgskreis333K
7.0
0.2 years
Zwickau313K
7.1
0.2 years
Mittelsachsen303K
7.7
0.3 years
Bautzen299K
8.2
0.3 years
Leipzig262K
7.3
0.2 years
Görlitz252K
8.5
0.3 years
Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge247K
8.3
0.3 years
Meißen246K
7.7
0.3 years
Chemnitz245K
8.1
0.3 years
Vogtlandkreis224K
6.7
0.2 years
Nordsachsen200K
7.4
0.2 years

Showing 13 districts, sorted by population (largest first). PM2.5 values are for 2023. Years lost calculated against WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.