Bad air still leading global cause of early deaths, killed 7.9mn in 2023, study finds

Air pollution remained the world’s deadliest environmental threat in 2023, contributing to 7.9 million deaths globally and exacerbating noncommunicable diseases and dementia, according to the sixth State of Global Air report released on Wednesday.

- Jayashree Nandi

In India, deaths linked to air pollution surged from 1.4 million in 2000 to 2 million in 2023, with pollution now overtaking high blood pressure and poor diet as the leading risk factor for mortality in the country.

The report, released by the Health Effects Institute (HEI), an independent US-based nonprofit research organisation, in collaboration with the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation and the NCD Alliance, found that 86% of global air pollution deaths—6.8 million—were caused by noncommunicable diseases such as heart and lung disease, lung cancer, diabetes and dementia.

Three in four Indians live in areas where annual PM2.5 exposure exceeds the World Health Organization's (WHO) least stringent interim target of 35 ug/m°, the report said. In 2023, 89% of all air pollution-related deaths in India were linked to NCDs, underlining the mounting health crisis.

The report highlighted that air pollution now contributes to seven out of 10 deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and nearly one in five diabetes deaths.

Experts drew a distinction — Indians were previously more exposed to household air pollution, a factor that has now been addressed.