China breathed significantly cleaner air in February 2016 than February 2015, with the average number of days with clear air across the country up nearly 10 percent, the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) said on March 17.

The air quality met national standards on more than 72 percent of the days last month, and the number of days with air pollution was 1.3 percent lower than in February last year, said the MEP.

Of the 338 cities monitored, Lhasa, Huizhou, Haikou, Xiamen and Dongguan registered the best air quality, while Urumqi, Xingtai, Baoding, Hengshui and Yinchuan -- all in north China -- were the most polluted.

Beijing saw clear air on 82.8 percent of the days last month, with the density of PM2.5 more than halving year on year.