Beijing's PM2.5 density drops by 15 percent in first three quarters

BEIJING -- Beijing's PM2.5 concentration, a key indicator of air pollution, had dropped to 24.9 micrograms per cubic meter in the first three quarters of 2025, down 15 percent from the same period last year, said local environment authorities.

During the period, Beijing recorded 226 days with good air quality, 18 days more than the same period of last year. The city is expected to exceed national ecological environment targets by the end of 2025, said Chen Tian, head of the municipal ecology and environment bureau, during a press conference held on Wednesday.

During the past five years, Beijing has achieved significant improvements in its ecological environment. Its annual average PM2.5 concentration in 2024 was 30.5 micrograms per cubic meter, a 19.7 percent decrease from 2020, the year when the concentration first dipped below 40 micrograms per cubic meter. Meanwhile, the number of days with good air quality reached 290, indicating a marked improvement in Beijing's air quality, with blue skies becoming the norm.

As one of the world's most biodiverse megacities, Beijing recorded a total of 7,121 species from 2020 to 2024. The population of Beijing swifts has exceeded 10,000, and rare birds such as red-crowned cranes and white-naped cranes, which are under first-class protection in China, have been spotted at the Miyun Reservoir, according to the bureau.