Breathing in Śląskie is Injurious to Health.

Air pollution threatens the health of 4.4 million people across 36 districts in Śląskie. The average PM2.5 level is 17.4 µg/m³—3.5× higher than the WHO guideline.

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Brought to you by Amrit Sharma

Overview

Air Pollution in Śląskie

Śląskie faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 4.4 million across 36 districts at risk.

The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 17.4µg/m³. That's 3.5 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.

This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 289 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 Śląskie met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 1.21 years longer.

That's 5.4M years of life stolen from 4.4 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 Śląskie. These areas face the greatest health burden from air pollution.

  • 1.Żory
    1.4 years lost
  • 2.Pszczyna
    1.4 years lost
  • 3.Bieruń-Lędziny
    1.4 years lost
  • 4.Rybnik (City)
    1.4 years lost
  • 5.Wodzisław
    1.4 years lost
  • 6.Tychy
    1.3 years lost
  • 7.Mysłowice
    1.3 years lost
  • 8.Sosnowiec
    1.3 years lost
  • 9.Rybnik
    1.3 years lost
  • 10.Jaworzno
    1.3 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
1.9%
86K
15-25 µg/m³
98.1%
4.3M
25-35 µg/m³
0%
0
> 35 µg/m³
0%
0
Districts

All 36 Districts in Śląskie

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

DistrictPopulationPM2.5 µg/m³Years Lost
Katowice295K
18.0
1.3 years
Częstochowa (CIty)220K
15.5
1.0 years
Sosnowiec200K
18.5
1.3 years
Cieszyn181K
15.4
1.0 years
Gliwice (City)180K
17.4
1.2 years
Bielsko-Biała175K
17.8
1.3 years
Zabrze164K
17.4
1.2 years
Bytom158K
17.3
1.2 years
Wodzisław158K
18.8
1.4 years
Żywiec155K
16.4
1.1 years
Będzin152K
17.4
1.2 years
Tarnowskie Góry144K
16.3
1.1 years
Ruda Śląska138K
17.7
1.2 years
Rybnik (City)138K
18.9
1.4 years
Częstochowa138K
15.3
1.0 years
Tychy129K
18.6
1.3 years
Dąbrowa Górnicza121K
17.3
1.2 years
Zawiercie119K
16.7
1.1 years
Gliwice118K
17.0
1.2 years
Pszczyna115K
19.1
1.4 years
Chorzów108K
17.8
1.3 years
Racibórz105K
16.5
1.1 years
Mikołów103K
18.0
1.3 years
Jaworzno92K
18.2
1.3 years
Jastrzębie-Zdrój88K
18.2
1.3 years
Kłobuck86K
14.9
1.0 years
Rybnik80K
18.3
1.3 years
Lubliniec78K
15.4
1.0 years
Mysłowice75K
18.6
1.3 years
Myszków71K
15.6
1.0 years
Siemianowice Śląskie67K
17.7
1.2 years
Żory64K
19.1
1.4 years
Bieruń-Lędziny61K
19.0
1.4 years
Piekary Śląskie55K
17.3
1.2 years
Bielsko54K
18.1
1.3 years
Świętochłowice48K
17.7
1.2 years

Showing 36 districts, sorted by population (largest first). PM2.5 values are for 2023. Years lost calculated against WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.