Cities in China have consistently ranked among the most polluted in the world. Just how bad is it? Smart Air analyzed 2023 pollution data from 169 cities in China to find the most polluted cities in China.
Rankings: Most Polluted Cities in China (2024)
1) Xianyang, Shaanxi Province (54.0 μg/m3)
2) Anyang, Henan Province (52.8 μg/m3)
3) Linfen, Shanxi Province (51.2 μg/m3)
4) Puyang, Henan Province (51.2 μg/m3)
5) Weinan, Shaanxi Province (50.9 μg/m3)
6) Yuncheng, Shanxi Province (50.6 μg/m3)
7) Handan, Hebei Province (50.4 μg/m3)
8) Hebi, Henan Province (50.1 μg/m3)
9) Xinxiang, Henan Province (49.2 μg/m3)
10) Xi’an, Shaanxi Province (48.9 μg/m3)
11) Kaifeng, Henan Province (48.7 μg/m3)
12) Liaocheng, Shandong Province (48.0 μg/m3)
13) Luoyang, Henan Province (48.0 μg/m3)
14) Xiangyang, Hubei Province (48.0 μg/m3)
15) Xingtai, Hebei Province (48.0 μg/m3)
16) Shangqiu, Henan Province (47.9 μg/m3)
17) Xuchang, Henan Province (47.9 μg/m3)
18) Zhoukou, Henan Province (47.9 μg/m3)
19) Luohe, Henan Province (47.8 μg/m3)
Image by Hillocks – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=87813367
20) Jingzhou, Hubei Province (47.5 μg/m3)
Results
All 169 cities in this study had pollution levels above the recommended annual limit of 5.0 μg/m3 set by the World Health Organisation. 10 out of the 20 most polluted cities were in Henan Province.
Notable Cities
Although China’s capital city, Beijing, was not ranked in this list, its average air quality was 34.5 μg/m3, an amount almost 7 times the recommended limit by WHO.
How Air Pollution Was Measured
There are various pollutants (both particles and gases) that can be found in the air. One of the most commonly tracked pollutants is very small, fine particles called PM2.5.
These small pollutants are under 2.5 μg in width and are considered to be one of the more dangerous pollutants due to their ability to enter deep into the lungs and bloodstream.
Recommended limits
The limit that is closely aligned with what studies show about the health effects of pollution is the annual limit of 5 μg/m3.
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