Average monthly air quality index of Beijing, China 2022-2025

As of February 2025, the average monthly air quality index in Beijing stood at 52, which is within the “Good” range, making it one of the months with better air quality compared to the rest of the year. 

Air Pollution in Beijing

For years, Beijing has earned a notorious reputation for having air quality detrimental to health. For the same survey period, Beijing has the worst average air quality among other Chinese cities such as Chengdu, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenyang. The pollution caused by PM2.5 has been worsening since 2008 as the manufacturing industry around the capital grew and the demand for energy and heat increased. However, since the government began to tackle the issue, pollution levels in Beijing have improved significantly.

Causes of air pollution in China and tackling the root cause

Much of the air pollution in China is associated with the burning of coal, especially in the industrial sector, and transportation. With the emergence of the public health concern, the Chinese government also introduced plans to ease the air pollution, including setting targets for fine particulate matter, completion of construction and renovation of pollution control facilities, introducing vehicle control, and electrifying the fleet of public buses. In addition, the popularity and prevalence of electric vehicles also contributed to the reduced exhaust fume-based pollution.