BEIJING, June 2 (Xinhua) -- China's ecological environment improved in 2019 amid anti-pollution efforts and push for green development, an official report showed Tuesday.

Air quality in the country continued to improve, with 337 cities at and above the prefecture-level recording good air quality on an average of 82 percent days last year, according to the report issued by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

Surface water quality mostly kept improving. Some 74.9 percent of surface water monitored by the ministry was graded Class I to III (good quality) last year, up 3.9 percentage points from 2018, while that of Class V fell to 3.4 percent from 6.7 percent in 2018.

Surface water quality is divided into five classes in the country, with Class I being the best.

Carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP fell 4.1 percent in 2019 from the previous year, meeting the country's annual target, according to the report.

Considering lucid waters and lush mountains as invaluable assets, China has made great strides in tackling pollution and shifting to an environmental-friendly development path.