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.

Ukraine's Kiev Air Pollution Report

Overview

Air Pollution in Kiev

Kiev faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 2.0 million across 30 districts at risk.

The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 9.5µg/m³. That's 1.9 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.

This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 158 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 Kiev met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 0.44 years longer.

That's 864K years of life stolen from 2.0 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 Kiev. These areas face the greatest health burden from air pollution.

1.Brovars'ka
0.5 years lost
2.Boryspil's'ka
0.5 years lost
3.Kyievo-Sviatoshyns'kyi
0.5 years lost
4.Brovars'kyi
0.5 years lost
5.Vyshhorods'kyi
0.5 years lost
6.Obukhivs'kyi
0.5 years lost
7.Pereiaslav-Khmel'nyts'ka
0.5 years lost
8.Irpins'ka
0.5 years lost
9.Baryshivs'kyi
0.4 years lost
10.Pereiaslav-Khmel'nyts'kyi
0.4 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

65.5%

1.3M

10-15 µg/m³

34.5%

677K

15-25 µg/m³

25-35 µg/m³

> 35 µg/m³

Districts

All 30 Districts in Kiev

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

District	Population	PM2.5 µg/m³	Years Lost
Kyievo-Sviatoshyns'kyi	299K	10.1	0.5 years
Bilotserkivs'ka	200K	9.0	0.4 years
Boryspil's'ka	125K	10.2	0.5 years
Vasyl'kivs'kyi	107K	9.5	0.4 years
Brovars'kyi	90K	10.0	0.5 years
Bilotserkivs'kyi	86K	9.0	0.4 years
Vyshhorods'kyi	84K	10.0	0.5 years
Irpins'ka	81K	9.7	0.5 years
Brovars'ka	80K	10.3	0.5 years
Obukhivs'kyi	76K	9.8	0.5 years
Borodians'kyi	60K	9.4	0.4 years
Baryshivs'kyi	60K	9.6	0.4 years
Pereiaslav-Khmel'nyts'kyi	53K	9.5	0.4 years
Fastivs'ka	49K	9.1	0.4 years
Kaharlyts'kyi	46K	9.1	0.4 years
Makarivs'kyi	43K	9.5	0.4 years
Skvyrs'kyi	43K	8.8	0.4 years
Bohuslavs'kyi	41K	9.0	0.4 years
Fastivs'kyi	40K	9.2	0.4 years
Myronivs'kyi	40K	9.1	0.4 years
Tetiïvs'kyi	38K	9.1	0.4 years
Iahotyns'kyi	36K	8.6	0.4 years
Ivankivs'kyi	34K	9.2	0.4 years
Tarashchans'kyi	34K	9.0	0.4 years
Rokytnians'kyi	32K	9.0	0.4 years
Stavyshchens'kyi	26K	8.9	0.4 years
Zgurivs'kyi	23K	8.6	0.4 years
Volodars'kyi	21K	9.1	0.4 years
Pereiaslav-Khmel'nyts'ka	12K	9.7	0.5 years
Polis'kyi	6K	9.2	0.4 years

Showing 30 districts, sorted by population (largest first). PM2.5 values are for 2023. Years lost calculated against WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.

Breathing in Kiev is Injurious to Health.