Breathing in Chimaltenango is Injurious to Health.

Air pollution threatens the health of 749 thousand people across 16 districts in Chimaltenango. The average PM2.5 level is 27.1 µg/m³—5.4× higher than the WHO guideline.

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Brought to you by Amrit Sharma

Overview

Air Pollution in Chimaltenango

Chimaltenango faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 749 thousand across 16 districts at risk.

The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 27.1µg/m³. That's 5.4 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.

This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 450 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 Chimaltenango met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 2.18 years longer.

That's 1.6M years of life stolen from 749 thousand 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 Chimaltenango. These areas face the greatest health burden from air pollution.

  • 1.Parramos
    3.1 years lost
  • 2.El Tejar
    2.8 years lost
  • 3.San Andrés Itzapa
    2.8 years lost
  • 4.Chimaltenango
    2.7 years lost
  • 5.Yepocapa
    2.6 years lost
  • 6.Acatenango
    2.6 years lost
  • 7.Zaragoza
    2.5 years lost
  • 8.Patzicía
    2.4 years lost
  • 9.Santa Cruz Balanyá
    2.2 years lost
  • 10.Pochuta
    2.1 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
0%
0
15-25 µg/m³
44.7%
335K
25-35 µg/m³
52.9%
396K
> 35 µg/m³
2.4%
18K
Districts

All 16 Districts in Chimaltenango

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

DistrictPopulationPM2.5 µg/m³Years Lost
Chimaltenango122K
32.9
2.7 years
Tecpán Guatemala119K
21.9
1.7 years
San Martín Jilotepeque89K
22.4
1.7 years
Patzún70K
24.9
2.0 years
Comalapa57K
25.0
2.0 years
Patzicía43K
29.6
2.4 years
Yepocapa42K
31.6
2.6 years
San Andrés Itzapa38K
33.3
2.8 years
San José Poaquil34K
19.9
1.5 years
Acatenango28K
31.2
2.6 years
Zaragoza27K
30.3
2.5 years
Santa Apolonia23K
20.8
1.5 years
El Tejar21K
33.8
2.8 years
Parramos18K
36.1
3.1 years
Pochuta12K
26.4
2.1 years
Santa Cruz Balanyá8K
27.3
2.2 years

Showing 16 districts, sorted by population (largest first). PM2.5 values are for 2023. Years lost calculated against WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.