The bar charts illustrate the number of people affected by five different kinds of noise pollution in urban and rural areas during the day and at night in 2012. Figures are given in thousands.
Overall, significantly more people were affected by noise pollution in urban settings compared to rural ones. Traffic was the primary source of disturbance, particularly during the day in cities, while 'Other' sources consistently affected the fewest people in all scenarios.
In urban areas, day-time noise pollution was generally higher than at night. Traffic affected 120,000 people during the day, dropping to 80,000 at night. Similarly, construction impacted 90,000 people by day, which fell to 40,000 at night. Neighborhood noise also showed a decrease from 70,000 to 55,000, and industrial noise went from 85,000 to 60,000. 'Other' noise types affected 20,000 people during the day and 15,000 at night.
Rural areas experienced much lower numbers across all categories. Day-time traffic noise affected 35,000 people, which was nearly three times less than urban day-time traffic. At night, rural traffic noise dropped to 18,000. Construction noise in rural areas was 20,000 by day and only 8,000 at night. The remaining categories, including neighborhood, industry, and 'Other' noise, consistently showed single-digit or low double-digit figures in thousands for rural residents, both day and night.