Breathing in Buenos Aires is Injurious to Health.

Air pollution threatens the health of 17.8 million people across 128 districts in Buenos Aires. The average PM2.5 level is 8.5 µg/m³—1.7× higher than the WHO guideline.

AboutMake Air Quality Great AgainAQLI Data

Brought to you by Amrit Sharma

Overview

Air Pollution in Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 17.8 million across 128 districts at risk.

The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 8.5µg/m³. That's 1.7 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.

This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 141 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 Buenos Aires met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 0.35 years longer.

That's 6.2M years of life stolen from 17.8 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 Buenos Aires. These areas face the greatest health burden from air pollution.

  • 1.Vicente López
    0.6 years lost
  • 2.Avellaneda
    0.5 years lost
  • 3.San Isidro
    0.5 years lost
  • 4.General San Martín
    0.5 years lost
  • 5.Quilmes
    0.5 years lost
  • 6.Bahía Blanca
    0.5 years lost
  • 7.Tres de Febrero
    0.5 years lost
  • 8.Lanús
    0.4 years lost
  • 9.San Fernando (1)
    0.4 years lost
  • 10.Ensenada
    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
94%
16.7M
10-15 µg/m³
6%
1.1M
15-25 µg/m³
0%
0
25-35 µg/m³
0%
0
> 35 µg/m³
0%
0
Districts

All 128 Districts in Buenos Aires

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

DistrictPopulationPM2.5 µg/m³Years Lost
La Matanza1.7M
8.6
0.4 years
General Sarmiento1.0M
8.7
0.4 years
Morón800K
8.8
0.4 years
La Plata776K
9.2
0.4 years
Lomas de Zamora702K
8.8
0.4 years
Quilmes701K
9.8
0.5 years
General Pueyrredón680K
7.6
0.3 years
Moreno577K
7.9
0.3 years
Almirante Brown559K
8.3
0.3 years
Esteban Echeverría550K
7.9
0.3 years
Merlo530K
7.7
0.3 years
General San Martín503K
9.8
0.5 years
Tigre491K
9.2
0.4 years
Florencio Varela436K
8.7
0.4 years
Lanús435K
9.6
0.4 years
Avellaneda394K
10.4
0.5 years
Pilar387K
8.3
0.3 years
Tres de Febrero379K
9.6
0.5 years
Berazategui371K
9.4
0.4 years
Bahía Blanca338K
9.7
0.5 years
Vicente López333K
10.9
0.6 years
San Isidro330K
10.0
0.5 years
Escobar261K
8.9
0.4 years
San Vicente196K
7.2
0.2 years
San Fernando (2)181K
9.4
0.4 years
San Nicolás164K
8.3
0.3 years
Tandil152K
6.1
0.1 years
General Rodríguez148K
7.1
0.2 years
Zárate134K
8.5
0.3 years
Olavarría128K
6.5
0.1 years
Campana116K
8.6
0.3 years
Pergamino116K
7.0
0.2 years
Luján113K
7.1
0.2 years
Berisso107K
9.3
0.4 years
Necochea105K
6.5
0.1 years
Junín103K
6.9
0.2 years
La Costa98K
8.0
0.3 years
Azul76K
6.1
0.1 years
Mercedes73K
6.9
0.2 years
Chivilcoy72K
7.1
0.2 years
Coronel de Marina Leonardo Rosal71K
8.5
0.3 years
San Pedro70K
7.9
0.3 years
Cañuelas69K
6.8
0.2 years
Marcos Paz67K
6.2
0.1 years
Ensenada66K
9.5
0.4 years
Tres Arroyos64K
6.3
0.1 years
Nueve de Julio53K
6.5
0.1 years
Balcarce53K
5.9
0.1 years
Chacabuco52K
6.9
0.2 years
Chascomús50K
6.8
0.2 years
Trenque Lauquen48K
7.1
0.2 years
Lincoln47K
7.1
0.2 years
General Alvarado46K
6.2
0.1 years
General Juan Madariaga45K
6.5
0.2 years
Bragado44K
6.9
0.2 years
Pehuajó43K
7.2
0.2 years
Coronel Suárez43K
6.6
0.2 years
Lobos42K
6.5
0.1 years
Ramallo41K
7.9
0.3 years
Salto41K
7.4
0.2 years
Magdalena40K
7.1
0.2 years
Mar Chiquita39K
7.2
0.2 years
Patagones39K
8.9
0.4 years
Baradero39K
8.0
0.3 years
Bolívar38K
6.3
0.1 years
Exaltación de la Cruz38K
7.2
0.2 years
Veinticinco de Mayo37K
6.7
0.2 years
Saladillo36K
6.7
0.2 years
General Villegas35K
9.0
0.4 years
Brandsen34K
6.7
0.2 years
Arrecifes33K
7.7
0.3 years
Villarino32K
8.3
0.3 years
Dolores32K
7.5
0.2 years
Villa Gesell29K
7.4
0.2 years
Colón28K
7.3
0.2 years
San Antonio de Areco27K
7.0
0.2 years
Las Flores27K
6.7
0.2 years
Pinamar27K
7.8
0.3 years
San Andrés de Giles27K
6.6
0.2 years
Rojas25K
6.9
0.2 years
Monte25K
6.7
0.2 years
Coronel Pringles25K
6.5
0.1 years
Carlos Casares23K
6.9
0.2 years
Benito Juárez23K
6.2
0.1 years
Ayacucho23K
6.3
0.1 years
Rivadavia22K
8.3
0.3 years
Saavedra22K
6.7
0.2 years
General Belgrano22K
6.4
0.1 years
Daireaux21K
6.7
0.2 years
Navarro21K
6.4
0.1 years
General Viamonte20K
6.5
0.1 years
Carmen de Areco19K
7.0
0.2 years
Adolfo Alsina19K
6.8
0.2 years
Lobería19K
5.8
0.1 years
General Las Heras18K
6.4
0.1 years
Rauch18K
6.3
0.1 years
Leandro N. Alem17K
7.7
0.3 years
Puán17K
7.2
0.2 years
Coronel Dorrego16K
6.8
0.2 years
General Arenales16K
7.2
0.2 years
Capitán Sarmiento16K
7.2
0.2 years
Tornquist15K
7.1
0.2 years
General Paz14K
6.6
0.2 years
Roque Pérez14K
6.6
0.2 years
Alberti14K
7.1
0.2 years
Carlos Tejedor13K
8.0
0.3 years
Adolfo Gonzales Chaves13K
6.2
0.1 years
General Alvear13K
6.8
0.2 years
General Pinto12K
8.0
0.3 years
Suipacha12K
6.7
0.2 years
Laprida12K
6.8
0.2 years
Guaminí12K
6.5
0.1 years
General La Madrid12K
6.4
0.1 years
Maipú12K
6.7
0.2 years
Tapalqué11K
6.5
0.1 years
San Cayetano11K
6.1
0.1 years
Castelli11K
6.8
0.2 years
Hipólito Yrigoyen11K
6.7
0.2 years
Salliqueló10K
6.4
0.1 years
Ameghino10K
8.1
0.3 years
San Fernando (1)10K
9.5
0.4 years
Monte Hermoso9K
8.1
0.3 years
Tres Lomas9K
6.4
0.1 years
Pellegrini7K
6.8
0.2 years
General Lavalle5K
7.2
0.2 years
Pila5K
6.5
0.1 years
General Guido3K
6.7
0.2 years
Tordillo3K
6.4
0.1 years

Showing 128 districts, sorted by population (largest first). PM2.5 values are for 2023. Years lost calculated against WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.