China's air quality in 2025 reached its best level since monitoring began, said Li Tianwei, an official from the Ministry of Ecology and Environment on Friday.
During this period, the average PM2.5 concentration in cities at or above the prefecture level was 28 micrograms per cubic meter. Good air quality days accounted for 89.3 percent, while heavily polluted days dropped to 0.9 percent, all marking the best performance since the start of monitoring, Li, director of the ministry's Department of Atmospheric Environment, told a press conference.
"Regionally, significant improvements have been seen in key areas. During the 14th Five-year Plan period (2021-2025), the country's overall air quality has been characterized by better conditions in the south and larger improvements in the north. Seven of the 10 provinces with the lowest concentration of PM2.5 in 2025 are in the south. The 10 provinces with the greatest improvements are all in the north. Notably, PM2.5 concentration in the two key areas -- the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and nearby areas, and the Fenhe-Weihe Plain area -- fell by 27 percent and 32.1 percent, respectively. Cities in the two areas account for less than one-sixth of the country's cities, yet nearly all of the top 20 cities with the largest PM2.5 improvements are located there. In particular, Linfen City in north China's Shanxi Province recorded a PM2.5 concentration of 35.1 micrograms per cubic meter in 2025, a 46.5 percent drop from 2020, the largest drop in the country," said Li.
During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the nationwide PM2.5 concentration decreased by 20 percent, Li said.
Currently, 29 cities have a GDP exceeding 1 trillion yuan (about 144.45 billion U.S. dollars), with an average PM2.5 concentration of 27.8 micrograms per cubic meter, better than the national average, according to Li.
These cities have all seen significant improvements during the 2021-2025 period, demonstrating through tangible governance achievements that economic growth and blue sky protection can advance together and achieve a win-win outcome, Li added.
China posts record air quality in 2025: official
