Breathing in Ontario is Injurious to Health.

Air pollution threatens the health of 14.7 million people across 49 districts in Ontario. The average PM2.5 level is 8.8 µg/m³—1.8× higher than the WHO guideline.

AboutMake Air Quality Great AgainAQLI Data

Brought to you by Amrit Sharma

Overview

Air Pollution in Ontario

Ontario faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 14.7 million across 49 districts at risk.

The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 8.8µg/m³. That's 1.8 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.

This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 146 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 Ontario met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 0.36 years longer.

That's 5.3M years of life stolen from 14.7 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 Ontario. These areas face the greatest health burden from air pollution.

  • 1.Timiskaming
    0.5 years lost
  • 2.Nipissing
    0.4 years lost
  • 3.Peel
    0.4 years lost
  • 4.Toronto
    0.4 years lost
  • 5.Essex
    0.4 years lost
  • 6.Halton
    0.4 years lost
  • 7.Hamilton
    0.4 years lost
  • 8.Ottawa
    0.4 years lost
  • 9.Lambton
    0.4 years lost
  • 10.York
    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
0%
0
5-10 µg/m³
100%
14.7M
10-15 µg/m³
0%
0
15-25 µg/m³
0%
0
25-35 µg/m³
0%
0
> 35 µg/m³
0%
0
Districts

All 49 Districts in Ontario

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

DistrictPopulationPM2.5 µg/m³Years Lost
Toronto3.0M
9.4
0.4 years
Peel1.5M
9.5
0.4 years
York1.2M
8.8
0.4 years
Ottawa1.0M
9.1
0.4 years
Durham704K
8.6
0.4 years
Halton608K
9.3
0.4 years
Hamilton587K
9.2
0.4 years
Waterloo587K
8.1
0.3 years
Simcoe507K
8.4
0.3 years
Middlesex499K
8.1
0.3 years
Niagara476K
8.4
0.3 years
Essex436K
9.4
0.4 years
Wellington244K
8.2
0.3 years
Greater Sudbury178K
8.6
0.3 years
Frontenac162K
8.2
0.3 years
Thunder Bay158K
6.4
0.1 years
Peterborough152K
8.6
0.3 years
Brant148K
8.1
0.3 years
Hastings147K
8.3
0.3 years
Lambton135K
9.0
0.4 years
Algoma123K
7.7
0.3 years
Oxford122K
7.6
0.3 years
Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry121K
7.9
0.3 years
Haldimand-Norfolk119K
7.8
0.3 years
Renfrew112K
8.2
0.3 years
Chatham-Kent112K
8.1
0.3 years
Leeds and Grenville109K
8.1
0.3 years
Grey101K
7.3
0.2 years
Prescott and Russell98K
8.0
0.3 years
Elgin97K
7.8
0.3 years
Northumberland92K
8.3
0.3 years
Nipissing91K
9.6
0.4 years
Cochrane87K
7.4
0.2 years
Perth84K
7.9
0.3 years
Kawartha Lakes83K
8.2
0.3 years
Lanark75K
8.2
0.3 years
Kenora72K
7.0
0.2 years
Dufferin68K
8.0
0.3 years
Muskoka67K
8.2
0.3 years
Bruce64K
7.1
0.2 years
Huron62K
7.5
0.2 years
Parry Sound46K
8.1
0.3 years
Lennox and Addington45K
8.0
0.3 years
Timiskaming35K
9.8
0.5 years
Prince Edward23K
7.9
0.3 years
Sudbury23K
8.0
0.3 years
Rainy River21K
6.5
0.1 years
Haliburton20K
8.5
0.3 years
Manitoulin14K
7.8
0.3 years

Showing 49 districts, sorted by population (largest first). PM2.5 values are for 2023. Years lost calculated against WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.