Air pollution threatens the health of 2.4 million people across 7 districts in Kocaeli. The average PM2.5 level is 17.9 µg/m³—3.6× higher than the WHO guideline.
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Kocaeli faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 2.4 million across 7 districts at risk.
The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 17.9µg/m³. That's 3.6 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.
This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 297 cigarettes in a year.
If Kocaeli met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 1.26 years longer.
That's 3.0M years of life stolen from 2.4 million people. Years of watching children grow up. Years of building a career. Years of quiet mornings and celebrations.
Lives cut short. Breathing kills.
The top 7 most polluted districts in Kocaeli. These areas face the greatest health burden from air pollution.
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.
Complete air quality data for every district in Kocaeli, sorted by population.
| District | Population | PM2.5 µg/m³ | Years Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gebze | 1.0M | 17.7 | 1.2 years |
| Merkez | 893K | 18.8 | 1.4 years |
| Gölcük | 139K | 17.5 | 1.2 years |
| Körfez | 119K | 15.9 | 1.1 years |
| Kandıra | 92K | 15.0 | 1.0 years |
| Karamürsel | 87K | 17.2 | 1.2 years |
| Derince | 10K | 12.4 | 0.7 years |
Showing 7 districts, sorted by population (largest first). PM2.5 values are for 2023. Years lost calculated against WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.