In October, the average PM2.5 concentration across 339 prefecture-level and above cities nationwide was 23.5 micrograms per cubic meter, a year-on-year decrease of 17.5%. The average PM10 concentration was 39 micrograms per cubic meter, down 18.8% year-on-year. The average O3 concentration was 103 micrograms per cubic meter, a year-on-year decrease of 16.9%. The average SO₂ concentration was 7 μg/m³, down 12.5% year-on-year; the average NO₂ concentration was 18 μg/m³, down 18.2% year-on-year; the average CO concentration was 0.8 mg/m³, unchanged year-on-year.

In October, the average proportion of days with good or excellent air quality across 339 prefecture-level and above cities nationwide was 96.2%, an increase of 3.9 percentage points year-on-year; the average proportion of days with severe or worse pollution was 0.3%, an increase of 0.1 percentage points year-on-year. The average proportion of days with exceedances caused by sandstorms was 0.9%, of which the proportion of days with severe or worse pollution was 0.1%.

October 2025 Air Quality Day Distribution by Pollution Level in 339 Prefecture-Level and Above Cities

Top 20 and Bottom 20 Cities by Air Quality in 168 Key Cities for October 2025

In October, among 168 key cities: The top 20 cities with better air quality were Guiyang, Kunming, Suining, Nanchong, Zhoushan, Guang'an, Lhasa, Haikou, Ya'an, Fuzhou, Mianyang, Dazhou, Ziyang, Neijiang, Taizhou, Lishui, Deyang, Huangshan, Xiamen, and Zigong. The bottom 20 cities with poorer air quality were Baoding, Shijiazhuang, Zhuzhou, Tianjin, Ürümqi, Huludao, Shenyang, Jiaozuo, Langfang, Handan, Hebi, Pingxiang, Taiyuan, Xinxiang, Hengshui, Jiujiang, Cangzhou, Jinzhou, Dezhou, and Xingtai.

In October, among 168 key cities: The top 20 cities with the lowest PM2.5 concentrations were Lhasa, Zhoushan, Suining, Dazhou, Fuzhou, Guiyang, Kunming, Taizhou, Haikou, Nantong, Meishan, Guang'an, Nanchong, Lishui, Mianyang, Ya'an, Qingdao, Xiamen, Yancheng, and Ningbo. The bottom 20 cities with the highest PM2.5 concentrations were Baoding, Handan, Zhuzhou, Shijiazhuang, Hebi, Jiaozuo, Xinxiang, Anyang, Langfang, Xiangtan, Yiyang, Xuchang, Changsha, Luoyang, Jiujiang, Xingtai, Pingxiang, Heze, Yueyang, and Hengshui.

Source: Ministry of Ecology and Environment