Country Spotlight: China

For almost two decades, China remained one of the top five most polluted countries in the world. But after launching a successful “war against pollution” in 2014, China was able to reduce its particulate pollution by 39 percent—dropping the country from its top five ranking in recent years. In fact, from 2013 to 2018, almost three-quarters of the global reduction in particulate pollution came from China. If the reductions are sustained, China’s people can expect to live 2.1 years longer. The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area, one of China’s most polluted areas in 2013, saw a 41 percent reduction in particulate pollution, translating to a gain of 3.4 years of life expectancy for its 108 million residents, if sustained.

KEY TAKE-AWAYS

• Despite significant progress over a short time, China’s particulate pollution is still three times the WHO guideline, making it the seventh
  most polluted country in the world.
• Ninety-nine percent of China’s 1.4 billion people live in areas where the annual average particulate pollution level exceeds the WHO
  guideline. Forty-three percent live in areas where particulate pollution exceeds the national standard.
• If pollution were reduced to meet the WHO guideline, Chinese people could gain an additional 2.3 years onto their lives
• In parts of Hebei and Henan provinces, home to much of the country’s coal and steel industries, residents could see their life
  expectancies rise by up to an additional 5 years if pollution levels met the WHO guideline.
• While Beijing saw a 37 percent reduction in particulate pollution from 2013-2018—gaining 2.7 years in life expectancy if the
  reduction is sustained—residents could further gain 1.2 years if the city’s pollution met China’s national standard, or 3.5 years if it
  met the WHO guideline.