Despite significant increases in particulate pollution (PM2.5) in many regions of the world, global pollution has declined since 2013. That decline is due entirely to China’s success in steeply reducing pollution. In 2013, China experienced some of its highest pollution levels to that point, and public awareness and criticism reached new heights. The following year, at the 2014 annual meeting of the People’s Congress, Premier Li Keqiang declared a “war against pollution.”

China’s strict policy action led to a swift reduction in pollution. Particulate pollution in China declined by 41 percent between 2013 and 2022 and by 3.4 percent from 2021 to 2022 alone. Because of these air quality improvements, the average Chinese citizen can expect to live 2 years longer, provided the reductions are sustained. Beijing province experienced the largest decline in pollution, dropping 54.1 percent in just nine years. If this success is sustained, the average person living there could expect to live 3.9 years longer. Despite tremendous progress over the past few years, there is still much work to do to reduce pollution in China. The pollution there is still 5.6 times the WHO guideline and remains one of the top threats to life expectancy in the country.