Air pollution is the 4th leading risk factor for early death worldwide.
Figure N. Global ranking of risk factors by total deaths from all causes in 2019.
A Leading Cause of Death and Disability
Understanding air pollution’s health consequences is key to informing air quality interventions and saving lives. The GBD project’s comparative risk framework also provides critical perspective on air pollution’s importance as a public health problem relative to more well-known risk factors. In 2019, air pollution’s impact was exceeded only by high blood pressure, dietary risks, and tobacco use.
