Beijing cuts air pollution by 70%, delivers huge health benefits
Updated: 2 days ago
ENVIRONMENT/HEALTH
More than a decade after China launched an aggressive campaign to reduce air pollution, the country’s air quality has reached its best on record, preventing hundreds of thousands of premature deaths and generating an estimated 4.8 trillion yuan (US$715 billion) in health benefits.
China’s national average concentration of PM2.5 — the fine particulate matter considered particularly harmful to human health — fell to 28mg per cubic metre, while the share of days with good air quality and the prevalence of polluted days are now the best since monitoring began, says Tong Yanchao, a second-level inspector with the Department of Atmospheric Environment at China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment. PM2.5 levels were on average 41mg per cubic metre in 2018; 35mg per cubic metre is considered unhealthy.
The change has been particularly striking in Beijing. The capital’s average PM2.5 concentration fell by about 70%, from 89.5mg/cu. m metre in 2013 to 27mg in 2025. Over the same period, the number of days with heavy pollution dropped from 58 to just one — a transformation Tong cites as an example of how a megacity can sharply reduce air pollution while continuing to develop.
Technology has played an increasingly important role in Beijing’s efforts against air pollution. Wang Yao, an official with the Beijing Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau, says the city has built an integrated air-quality monitoring network spanning satellites, aerial platforms and ground stations. It can identify pollution on an hourly basis with an accuracy of up to 90%, allowing authorities to target emissions with greater precision.
Hao Jiming, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a professor at Tsinghua University, reports that from 2020 to 2025, China invested 576 billion yuan (US$85 billion) to curb air pollution. Businesses contributed 53%, the government 31% and the public 17%, Hao notes. About a quarter of the spend targeted emissions from vehicles, followed by measures to reduce volatile organic compound emissions from key industries.
The benefits, however, far outweighed the costs, says Hao. It’s estimated the measures have prevented about 680,000 premature deaths associated with PM2.5 exposure nationwide.
Jiang Xiaopeng, a national professional officer with the World Health Organisation Representative Office in China, says China’s experience extends beyond pollution controls themselves to include high-level political commitment, long-term planning, comprehensive monitoring, the use of scientific research and data to guide policy, and coordination across government agencies and regions. Air-quality and health targets have also been incorporated into broader economic and social development goals.
That experience is now drawing interest from abroad, including from India and Thailand.
ABOVE Marking International Day of Clean Air in Beijing on September 7, 2026
PHOTO UN Environment Program
Meanwhile, China completes phase-out of ozone-depleting HCFCs
China has finally phased-out ozone-depleting hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC) in the country’s solvent sector, after a nationwide ban on HCFCs in cleaning agents took effect on July 1, 2026. Over the past decade, 53 enterprises across 12 provinces have transitioned away from HCFCs to alternatives.
“China’s solvent sector phase-out represents the final sprint in this compliance journey, and UNDP [United Nations Development Program] has been proud to stand alongside Chinese partners every step of the way,” says Stefan Liller, UNDP Resident Representative in China. “What we have achieved here demonstrates that industrial transformation and environmental stewardship can go hand in hand.”
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