Home > Countries > China > Environment > Emissions

China - Particle pollution

PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure (micrograms per cubic meter)

The value for PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure (micrograms per cubic meter) in China was 54.36 as of 2013. As the graph below shows, over the past 23 years this indicator reached a maximum value of 54.36 in 2013 and a minimum value of 39.30 in 1990.

Definition: Population-weighted exposure to ambient PM2.5 pollution is defined as the average level of exposure of a nation's population to concentrations of suspended particles measuring less than 2.5 microns in aerodynamic diameter, which are capable of penetrating deep into the respiratory tract and causing severe health damage. Exposure is calculated by weighting mean annual concentrations of PM2.5 by population in both urban and rural areas.

Source: Brauer, M. et al. 2016. “Ambient Air Pollution Exposure Estimation for the Global Burden of Disease 2013.” Environmental Science & Technology 50, no. 1: 79–88.

Year	Value
1990	39.30
1995	41.91
2000	44.15
2005	51.03
2010	54.15
2011	54.08
2013	54.36

PM2.5 air pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding WHO guideline value (% of total)

PM2.5 air pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding WHO guideline value (% of total) in China was 99.57 as of 2013. Its highest value over the past 23 years was 99.57 in 2013, while its lowest value was 99.15 in 1990.

Definition: Percent of population exposed to ambient concentrations of PM2.5 that exceed the WHO guideline value is defined as the portion of a country’s population living in places where mean annual concentrations of PM2.5 are greater than 10 micrograms per cubic meter, the guideline value recommended by the World Health Organization as the lower end of the range of concentrations over which adverse health effects due to PM2.5 exposure have been observed.

Source: Brauer, M. et al. 2016. “Ambient Air Pollution Exposure Estimation for the Global Burden of Disease 2013.” Environmental Science & Technology 50, no. 1: 79–88.

Year	Value
1990	99.15
1995	99.20
2000	99.26
2005	99.44
2010	99.50
2011	99.56
2013	99.57

Classification

Topic: Environment Indicators

Sub-Topic: Emissions