China Air Quality Index (AQI)
China has made remarkable progress cutting air pollution — PM2.5 in major cities dropped ~57% since 2013. But 339 monitored cities still exceed WHO guidelines. Explore real-time AQI, PM2.5, and seasonal patterns for 12 major cities.
88
National Avg AQI
2024 annual
30 μg/m³
PM2.5 Average
6× WHO limit
1,734
Monitoring Stations
MEE network
−57%
PM2.5 Reduction
vs 2013 peak
Most Polluted Cities
North China
East China
Central China
South China
West China
Northeast China
China's Air Quality Transformation
The 2013 turning point
In January 2013, Beijing recorded AQI values above 500 — "beyond index" — for days at a time. The resulting public outrage triggered the State Council's "Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan," China's most ambitious environmental policy. By 2023, Beijing's PM2.5 had dropped from ~89 to ~35 μg/m³.
Why the North is dirtier
The North China Plain is dominated by coal heating from November to March. The Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region hosts massive heavy industry (steel, cement, chemicals). Winter temperature inversions trap pollutants at ground level, regularly pushing AQI above 150 from December to February.
China vs WHO standards
China's national annual PM2.5 standard is 35 μg/m³ — 7× higher than the WHO guideline of 5 μg/m³. China's national average PM2.5 of 30 μg/m³ still exceeds WHO limits by 6×, despite significant improvements.
What's driving improvement
China has closed thousands of coal plants, moved millions of homes to gas/electric heating, shut down or relocated heavy factories from major cities, and massively expanded its EV fleet (leading the world with 60%+ of new EV sales). Air quality improvement is faster than any country in history at this scale.