China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment reported Friday that the country's ecological and environmental quality continued to improve in 2025.
The "2025 China Ecological and Environmental Status Bulletin" newly released by the ministry highlights reductions in air pollution, improvements in water and soil quality, enhanced rural sewage treatment, and continued increases in forest coverage, among others. According to the bulletin, the average PM2.5 concentration in 339 major cities (those at the prefecture level and higher) dropped to 29.3 micrograms per cubic meter in 2025 and is expected to fall further to 28 micrograms this year. The number of heavily polluted days decreased by 25 percent compared to the start of the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025).
High-quality surface water accounted for 91.4 percent nationwide, marking the second consecutive year in which the rate reached the threshold of 90 percent and higher, while water quality on the main stems of Yangtze and Yellow Rivers remained stable at Class II.
Coastal water areas with "Excellent or Good" category (Grade I-II) reached nearly 85 percent, and the soil environmental status of farmland remained generally stable, with 93 percent safe utilization of polluted arable land. Meanwhile, rural wastewater treatment reached 55 percent, forest coverage hit 25.09 percent, the forest and grass coverage rate surpassed 56 percent, and the national water and soil conservation rate improved to 73.09 percent. All these indicators showed improvements compared with 2024.
This is the 37th consecutive annual environment bulletin released by China and, for the first time, Hong Kong and Macao environmental departments participated in its compilation, presenting data on air, marine, and acoustic environments in the two Special Administrative Regions. The bulletin also carefully features 82 images, 17 tables, and 14 photos showcasing typical ecosystems and rare species, providing a vertical comparison of ecological progress during the 14th Five-Year Plan period. Some key ecological indicators trace back to 2016, outlining the historic and transformative changes in China's ecological and environmental quality over the past decade. "During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, PM2.5 concentrations dropped a cumulative 20 percent. Compared with 2016, the total decrease reached 33.3 percent. Water quality improvements have also been remarkable, with the proportion of top-quality sections rising by 8 percentage points in that five-year period and by 23.6 percentage points compared to 2016. These solid numbers are the most direct and strongest evidence of China's ecological progress," said Zhang Dawei, director of the Department of Ecological and Environmental Monitoring under Ministry of Ecology and Environment.
China sees further improvement in ecological environment for 2025
