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.

Russia's Moskva Air Pollution Report

Overview

Air Pollution in Moskva

Moskva faces significant air pollution challenges. 99% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 8.4 million across 81 districts at risk.

The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 10.8µg/m³. That's 2.2 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.

This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 179 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 Moskva met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 0.57 years longer.

That's 4.8M years of life stolen from 8.4 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 Moskva. These areas face the greatest health burden from air pollution.

1.Leninskiy rayon
0.7 years lost
2.Kotelniki
0.7 years lost
3.Shcherbinka
0.7 years lost
4.Reutov
0.7 years lost
5.Dzerzinski
0.7 years lost
6.Krasnogorskiy rayon
0.7 years lost
7.Lyuberetskiy rayon
0.6 years lost
8.Lytkarino
0.6 years lost
9.Podol'sk
0.6 years lost
10.Odintsovskiy rayon
0.6 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

16%

1.3M

10-15 µg/m³

84%

7.1M

15-25 µg/m³

25-35 µg/m³

> 35 µg/m³

Districts

All 81 Districts in Moskva

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

District	Population	PM2.5 µg/m³	Years Lost
Odintsovskiy rayon	625K	11.5	0.6 years
Leninskiy rayon	437K	12.1	0.7 years
Krasnogorskiy rayon	430K	11.7	0.7 years
Mytishchinskiy rayon	383K	11.2	0.6 years
Khimki	381K	11.3	0.6 years
Pushkinskiy rayon	367K	10.6	0.6 years
Solnechnogorskiy rayon	340K	10.4	0.5 years
Balashikhinskiy rayon	303K	11.3	0.6 years
Ramenskiy rayon	292K	11.0	0.6 years
Podol'skiy rayon	267K	11.4	0.6 years
Shchelkovskiy rayon	247K	10.7	0.6 years
Noginskiy rayon	246K	10.6	0.6 years
Naro-Fominskiy rayon	229K	10.8	0.6 years
Sergievo-Posadskiy rayon	225K	10.1	0.5 years
Lyuberetskiy rayon	201K	11.6	0.6 years
Orekhovo-Zuevskiy rayon	200K	9.8	0.5 years
Dmitrovskiy rayon	181K	10.0	0.5 years
Dolgoprudny	176K	11.3	0.6 years
Istrinskiy rayon	157K	10.4	0.5 years
Voskresenskiy rayon	154K	10.3	0.5 years
Stupinskiy rayon	139K	10.3	0.5 years
Serpukhovskiy rayon	138K	10.2	0.5 years
Kolomna	138K	10.0	0.5 years
Klinskiy rayon	136K	9.6	0.4 years
Domodedovskiy rayon	133K	11.1	0.6 years
Elektrostahl	127K	10.5	0.5 years
Chekhovskiy rayon	109K	10.5	0.5 years
Pavlovo-Posadskiy rayon	103K	10.2	0.5 years
Taldomskiy rayon	101K	9.6	0.4 years
Egor'evskiy rayon	88K	9.8	0.5 years
Zhukovsky	85K	11.3	0.6 years
Shaturskiy rayon	82K	9.3	0.4 years
Podol'sk	81K	11.5	0.6 years
Mozhayskiy rayon	76K	9.5	0.4 years
Ruzskiy rayon	71K	9.8	0.5 years
Kolomenskiy rayon	64K	10.0	0.5 years
Lukhovitskiy rayon	61K	9.5	0.4 years
Volokolamskiy rayon	58K	9.3	0.4 years
Zheleznodoroznhy	53K	11.3	0.6 years
Lobnya	53K	10.8	0.6 years
Orekhovo-Zuevo	51K	9.8	0.5 years
Serpukhov	50K	10.2	0.5 years
Kashirskiy rayon	48K	9.8	0.5 years
Ivanteevka	42K	10.7	0.6 years
Reutov	41K	11.8	0.7 years
Zarayskiy rayon	41K	9.5	0.4 years
Ozerskiy rayon	37K	10.0	0.5 years
Protvino	37K	10.2	0.5 years
Lytkarino	32K	11.6	0.6 years
Serebryano-Prudskiy rayon	27K	9.2	0.4 years
Shakhovskoy rayon	27K	9.1	0.4 years
Pushkino	25K	10.8	0.6 years
Dzerzinski	24K	11.8	0.7 years
Fryazino	22K	10.6	0.5 years
Kotelniki	21K	12.0	0.7 years
Lotoshinskiy rayon	20K	9.0	0.4 years
Sergiev Posad	18K	10.2	0.5 years
Egor'evsk	16K	10.0	0.5 years
Zvenigorod	15K	10.4	0.5 years
Chernogolovka	15K	10.4	0.5 years
Shcherbinka	13K	11.9	0.7 years
Roshal	12K	9.2	0.4 years
Klimovsk	10K	11.2	0.6 years
Elektrogorsk	9K	10.1	0.5 years
Karasnoarmesyk	8K	10.2	0.5 years
Krasnogorsk	8K	11.0	0.6 years
Petrovsky	7K	10.8	0.6 years
Odintsovo	5K	11.2	0.6 years
Klin	5K	9.7	0.5 years
Troitsk/Moskva	4K	11.3	0.6 years
Kraznoznamensk	3K	11.2	0.6 years
Pushchino	2K	10.2	0.5 years
Ozery	1K	10.2	0.5 years
Solnechnogorsk	1K	9.9	0.5 years
Zaraysk	1K	9.4	0.4 years
Stupino	1K	10.3	0.5 years
Istra	991	10.3	0.5 years
Voskhod	665	9.8	0.5 years
Mozhaysk	571	9.6	0.4 years
Shatura	234	9.3	0.4 years
Molodyozhny	0	0.0	0.0 years

Showing 81 districts, sorted by population (largest first). PM2.5 values are for 2023. Years lost calculated against WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.

Breathing in Moskva is Injurious to Health.