new data ranks city among more polluted urban areas as Air quality declines

Macau’s air quality has taken a turn for the worse, with new data placing the city among the more polluted urban areas in the region.

According to a report by Swiss air quality firm IQAir, the city’s annual PM2.5 concentration increased from 16.2 µg/m³ in 2023 to 17.7 µg/m³ in 2024.

This shift moved Macau up to 52nd place in global rankings, compared to its previous 64th position.

Meanwhile, some East Asian nations such as China, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan saw decreases in PM2.5 levels, Macau, Mongolia, and Hong Kong reported increases.

Mongolia recorded the most significant rise, with PM2.5 levels climbing by 3.1 µg/m³, pushing the country into a more polluted WHO classification.

Macau’s latest air quality ranking indicates its pollution levels now exceed those of Hong Kong and Singapore, which placed 63rd and 94th respectively.

The city’s PM2.5 concentration is 3.5 times higher than the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, underscoring the growing health risks for residents.

Globally, Chad recorded the worst air pollution levels, with an alarming PM2.5 concentration of 91.8 µg/m³—over 18 times the WHO limit.

Other countries with severe air quality issues included Bangladesh (78 µg/m³), Pakistan (73.7 µg/m³), and India (50.6 µg/m³).

In contrast, the cleanest air was reported in the Bahamas, Bermuda, and French Polynesia, all recording PM2.5 levels below 3 µg/m³. Only a handful of nations, including Iceland, New Zealand, and Australia, met the WHO’s air quality standards.

A report from the Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (SMG) shows that the city’s air quality deteriorated significantly in 2024, with a marked increase in “unhealthy” and “very unhealthy” days compared to the previous year.

The findings reveal that the Ká Hó station recorded the highest health-risk index of the year at 216 on October 19.

SMG indicates that last year, the SAR experienced two “very unhealthy” days and 136 “unhealthy” days, a stark rise from just 91 such days recorded in 2023.

The overall number of “good” or “moderate” air quality days also fell, dropping to 2,058 from 2,099 in the prior year.

Notably, the health-risk index at the Macau roadside station peaked at 135 on December 30, with PM2.5, or fine particles, identified as the main pollutant on that day.

According to WHO data, an estimated 7 million people die prematurely each year due to exposure to toxic air.