Human caused air pollution exposure in China
China: Human caused air pollution exposure was 29.57 in 2024. ▬ Flat
Latest (2024)
29.57
Change on year
down 0.5%
World rank
24th
of 240 countries
All-time high
48.67
in 2014
All-time low
25.74
in 1999
Years of data
27
1998–2024
Human caused air pollution exposure in China, 1998–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for human caused air pollution exposure in China is 29.57, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and down 39.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, human caused air pollution exposure in China peaked at 48.67 in 2014 and was at its lowest, 25.74, in 1999.
China ranks 24th of 240 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Human caused air pollution exposure in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 26.92 | — |
| 1999 | 25.74 | -4.4% |
| 2000 | 30.24 | +17.5% |
| 2001 | 31.54 | +4.3% |
| 2002 | 33.98 | +7.7% |
| 2003 | 38.97 | +14.7% |
| 2004 | 37.39 | -4.1% |
| 2005 | 40.53 | +8.4% |
| 2006 | 43.71 | +7.8% |
| 2007 | 44.33 | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 43.66 | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 41.89 | -4.1% |
| 2010 | 40.98 | -2.2% |
| 2011 | 45.92 | +12.1% |
| 2012 | 42.69 | -7.0% |
| 2013 | 45 | +5.4% |
| 2014 | 48.67 | +8.2% |
| 2015 | 45.73 | -6.0% |
| 2016 | 41.96 | -8.2% |
| 2017 | 39.7 | -5.4% |
| 2018 | 35.08 | -11.6% |
| 2019 | 34.13 | -2.7% |
| 2020 | 30.59 | -10.4% |
| 2021 | 28.63 | -6.4% |
| 2022 | 28.7 | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 29.73 | +3.6% |
| 2024 | 29.57 | -0.5% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 29.57 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 15.58, 1.9× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- China's 29.57 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 5.49, 5.4× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 26.33 | 25.74 | 26.92 | 2 |
| 2000s | 38.62 | 30.24 | 44.33 | 10 |
| 2010s | 41.99 | 34.13 | 48.67 | 10 |
| 2020s | 29.44 | 28.63 | 30.59 | 5 |
Countries ranked near China
More environment data for China
- Grazing land use over the long-term, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per capita 0.2791 hectares per person (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.279 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.92 °C (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per square kilometre 41.82 hectares per square kilometre (2024)
- Sawnwood, coniferous — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 5.29 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.8065 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is human caused air pollution exposure in China?
- Human caused air pollution exposure in China was 29.57 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest human caused air pollution exposure recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 48.67 in 2014.
- What is the lowest human caused air pollution exposure recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.74 in 1999.
- How does China rank for human caused air pollution exposure?
- China ranks 24th out of 240 countries with data for 2024.
- Is human caused air pollution exposure rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 39.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Human caused air pollution exposure. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).