Ambient Air Pollution Factsheet

Key facts

• Air pollution is one of the greatest environmental risks to child health.
• In 2019, 99% of the world’s population was living in places where the WHO air quality guidelines levels were not met.
• The combined effects of ambient air pollution and household air pollution are associated with 6.7 million premature deaths annually.
• Ambient (outdoor) air pollution is estimated to have caused 4.2 million premature deaths worldwide in 2019.
• Some 89% of those premature deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries, and the greatest number in the WHO South-East Asia and Western Pacific Regions.
• Policies and investments supporting cleaner transport, energy efficient homes, power generation, industry and better municipal waste management would reduce key sources of outdoor air pollution. Access to clean household energy would also greatly reduce ambient air pollution in some regions.