Breathing in Małopolskie is Injurious to Health.

Air pollution threatens the health of 3.5 million people across 22 districts in Małopolskie. The average PM2.5 level is 17.2 µg/m³—3.4× higher than the WHO guideline.

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Brought to you by Amrit Sharma

Overview

Air Pollution in Małopolskie

Małopolskie faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 3.5 million across 22 districts at risk.

The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 17.2µg/m³. That's 3.4 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.

This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 285 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 Małopolskie met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 1.2 years longer.

That's 4.3M years of life stolen from 3.5 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 Małopolskie. These areas face the greatest health burden from air pollution.

  • 1.Oświęcim
    1.5 years lost
  • 2.Kraków (City)
    1.4 years lost
  • 3.Wadowice
    1.4 years lost
  • 4.Wieliczka
    1.3 years lost
  • 5.Kraków
    1.3 years lost
  • 6.Chrzanów
    1.3 years lost
  • 7.Nowy Sącz (City)
    1.3 years lost
  • 8.Myślenice
    1.2 years lost
  • 9.Bochnia
    1.2 years lost
  • 10.Olkusz
    1.2 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
0%
0
10-15 µg/m³
28.2%
999K
15-25 µg/m³
71.8%
2.5M
25-35 µg/m³
0%
0
> 35 µg/m³
0%
0
Districts

All 22 Districts in Małopolskie

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

DistrictPopulationPM2.5 µg/m³Years Lost
Kraków (City)828K
19.4
1.4 years
Kraków307K
18.1
1.3 years
Nowy Sącz222K
14.4
0.9 years
Tarnów205K
14.7
1.0 years
Nowy Targ197K
14.1
0.9 years
Wadowice164K
18.9
1.4 years
Oświęcim156K
20.0
1.5 years
Wieliczka144K
18.4
1.3 years
Limanowa136K
14.8
1.0 years
Myślenice134K
17.7
1.2 years
Chrzanów126K
18.0
1.3 years
Olkusz112K
17.2
1.2 years
Gorlice110K
12.9
0.8 years
Bochnia110K
17.5
1.2 years
Tarnów (City)110K
15.4
1.0 years
Brzesko95K
16.3
1.1 years
Sucha86K
16.5
1.1 years
Nowy Sącz (City)84K
17.8
1.3 years
Tatra69K
14.0
0.9 years
Dąbrowa60K
14.6
0.9 years
Miechów49K
15.9
1.1 years
Proszowice44K
16.3
1.1 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.