Global Air Pollution Crisis: 7.9 Million Deaths in 2023 with India and China Leading Mortality Rates

India and China each recorded more than two million deaths from air pollution in 2023.

New Delhi:

The recent State of Global Air report reveals a troubling escalation in global air pollution, now ranked as the second leading cause of premature mortality worldwide, surpassed only by hypertension. Published through collaboration between the Boston-based Health Effects Institute (HEI), University of Washington's School of Medicine, and the Geneva-based NCD Alliance, the report documents an alarming increase in pollution-related illnesses, including emerging evidence connecting air pollution to dementia.

The report indicates that air pollution claimed 7.9 million lives in 2023, representing approximately one-eighth of global deaths. This total includes 4.9 million deaths attributed to ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5), 2.8 million to household air pollution, and nearly 470,000 to ozone exposure.

India and China dominated the mortality statistics, each recording over two million air pollution-related deaths in 2023, collectively accounting for more than half of the global figure. The report emphasizes that 90 percent of pollution-related fatalities occurred in low and middle-income nations, with South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and portions of Southeast Asia experiencing the most severe impact.

Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nigeria each reported exceeding 200,000 deaths, while Indonesia, Myanmar, and Egypt all surpassed 100,000 fatalities.

"The impacts of these pollution spikes linger long after the air has cleared," the report warns. "The human toll is striking: In 2023 alone, 7.9 million deaths and 232 million healthy years of life were lost worldwide due to air pollution."

The findings establish significant connections between air pollution and neurodegenerative conditions, including dementia. Researchers estimate that polluted air contributed to 626,000 deaths and 11.6 million healthy years of life lost to dementia in 2023.

The data illustrates air pollution's extensive contribution to various non-communicable diseases (NCDs):

1 in 2 deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were caused by air pollution.

1 in 4 heart disease deaths were linked to air pollution exposure.

More than 1 in 4 dementia deaths were tied to pollution.

Nearly 1 in 6 diabetes deaths were attributable to poor air quality.

Overall, 95 percent of air pollution-related deaths occurred among adults over 60, with 6.8 million of total fatalities stemming from non-communicable diseases.

Approximately 36 percent of the world's population faces exposure to PM2.5 levels exceeding the World Health Organization's least stringent interim target of 35 micrograms per cubic meter.

Even more concerning, 11 percent of the global population resides in regions lacking any national air quality standards.

In India and throughout much of South Asia, the report attributes deteriorating air quality to a combination of vehicle emissions, agricultural burning, coal-fired power generation, and urban construction dust. Natural phenomena such as dust storms and wildfires further compound air quality challenges in parts of Africa and Latin America.