China’s Air Pollution Rose Last Year Amid Post-Pandemic Economic Recovery

China’s annual average PM 2.5 concentration rose last year as fewer cities met the national standard for fine particle air pollution, according to data recently released by a Beijing-based research group.

China’s annual average concentration of PM 2.5 — fine particles in the air that are hazardous to health — was 30 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023, lower than the annual target of 32.9 micrograms but up 3.4% year-on-year, according to a report published Thursday by the China Clean Air Policy Partnership (CCAPP), a research group dedicated to air quality research and clean air policy advocacy.