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.

Guatemala's Suchitepéquez Air Pollution Report

Overview

Air Pollution in Suchitepéquez

Suchitepéquez faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 650 thousand across 20 districts at risk.

The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 31.3µg/m³. That's 6.3 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.

This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 519 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 Suchitepéquez met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 2.58 years longer.

That's 1.7M years of life stolen from 650 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 Suchitepéquez. These areas face the greatest health burden from air pollution.

1.San Juan Bautista
3 years lost
2.Patulul
3 years lost
3.San Miguel Panán
2.9 years lost
4.Chicacao
2.8 years lost
5.Río Bravo
2.8 years lost
6.San Antonio Suchitepéquez
2.8 years lost
7.San Bernardino
2.7 years lost
8.Santa Bárbara
2.7 years lost
9.Samayac
2.7 years lost
10.San Pablo Jocopilas
2.6 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

10-15 µg/m³

15-25 µg/m³

6.4%

42K

25-35 µg/m³

86.5%

563K

> 35 µg/m³

7.1%

46K

Districts

All 20 Districts in Suchitepéquez

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

District	Population	PM2.5 µg/m³	Years Lost
Mazatenango	90K	31.5	2.6 years
Chicacao	76K	33.6	2.8 years
San Antonio Suchitepéquez	69K	33.1	2.8 years
Cuyotenango	68K	28.3	2.3 years
Santo Domingo Suchitepequez	60K	28.7	2.3 years
Patulul	35K	35.3	3.0 years
Río Bravo	33K	33.3	2.8 years
Santa Bárbara	29K	32.5	2.7 years
Samayac	27K	32.2	2.7 years
San Bernardino	26K	32.8	2.7 years
San Pablo Jocopilas	24K	31.9	2.6 years
Zunilito	17K	23.8	1.8 years
San Francisco Zapotitlán	17K	30.9	2.5 years
San Gabriel	15K	31.5	2.6 years
Santo Tomás La Unión	15K	30.6	2.5 years
San Lorenzo	14K	24.9	2.0 years
San Juan Bautista	11K	35.5	3.0 years
Pueblo Nuevo	11K	22.7	1.7 years
San Miguel Panán	7K	34.6	2.9 years
San José El Idolo	7K	30.9	2.5 years

Showing 20 districts, sorted by population (largest first). PM2.5 values are for 2023. Years lost calculated against WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.

Breathing in Suchitepéquez is Injurious to Health.