China’s air quality policies have swiftly reduced pollution, improved life expectancy

Despite significant increases in particulate pollution (PM₂.₅) in many regions of the world, global pollution has declined since 2014. 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 40.8 percent between 2014 and 2023, though the country experienced a slight increase in pollution from 2022 to 2023. Because of its overall air quality improvements, the average Chinese citizen can expect to live 1.8 years longer, provided the reductions are sustained. Beijing province experienced the largest decline in pollution, dropping 55.2 percent in just ten years. If this success is sustained, the average person living there could expect to live 3.7 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 5.5 times the WHO guideline and remains one of the top threats to life expectancy in the country that is cutting lives short by 2.2 years.

See factsheet: China