Communicating About Air Pollution During COVID-19
Share thoughtful, evidence-based data during the pandemic with this guide on best practices for clinicians.
Air Pollution Factsheet
Learn more about air pollution, its sources and its effects on health.
State of Global Air
The State of Global Air (SOGA) reports on global, regional, and country-specific data on air quality and health, including trends on outdoor air pollution and household solid fuel use. In addition to their annual report, national air quality and health burden data are available in plots, maps, and tables for ambient PM, ozone, household pollution, deaths and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs).
Data on Air Quality
Explore the data resources below to see if your country or city has publicly available data on air quality.
Air Quality Index (AQI)
The AQI is a measure to quantify daily air quality that uses a scale from 0 to 500. Higher AQI values indicate greater air pollution and greater potential health risks.
Use this AQI world map to see the air quality index near you.
Additional resources
Provides near real-time data on particulate matter levels collected by U.S. embassies and consulates around the world.
Provides a collection of government-level and research-grade air quality data from monitors around the world.
WHO Global Ambient Air Pollution Map
Provides an updated map of annual mean outdoor PM2.5 level measurements.
Provides data on global exposure and concentration levels for countries and cities.
WHO Global Urban Air Pollution Database
Provides data on outdoor area quality for 3,000 cities in 103 countries.
WHO Global Health Observatory on Household Air Pollution
Provides data on household solid fuel use and use of clean technologies for world populations.
A global “Surfaced Particulate Matter Network” that combines ground monitoring and satellite modeling to estimate air quality around the world.
Provides air quality data and information for Indian cities involved in the Air Pollution Knowledge Assessment city program.
For additional information on these resources, please refer to this resource summary: Air Quality Data Sources, By Pollutant and Scale
Data on Health Effects
Communicating the available data on how air pollution affects human health near you is a powerful advocacy tool. Use these data sources to find out how air quality effects health near you.
WHO Global Health Observatory: The World Health Organization’s (WHO) health observatory database details health statistics for over 1000 health-related indicators of progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 194 WHO member states.
Map Gallery: Search the map gallery to see how health burdens of air pollution in your country compares to others. Start by searching “air pollution” in keywords or selecting the “Environment and Health” Topic.
Outdoor air pollution death and disease burden: Explore the mortality rates and disease burdens of outdoor air pollution of countries using this interactive map and plot.
Outdoor Air Pollution Data Repository – Burden of Disease: Explore and download burden of disease data repository for outdoor air pollution in terms of deaths, DALYs (disability-adjusted life years), and YLLs (years of life lost).
Household air pollution death and disease burden: Explore the mortality rates and disease burdens of household air pollution of countries using this interactive map and plot.
Household Air Pollution Data Repository – Burden of Disease: Explore and download burden of disease data repository for outdoor air pollution in terms of deaths and DALYs.
Joint Effects of Air Pollution Data Repository: Explore and download the combined mortality data for outdoor and household air pollution by country or region.
WHO Global Health Observatory for Public Health and Environment: Home for all WHO global health data on SDGs related to public health and the environment.
State of the Global Air: The State of the Global Air (SOGA) reports global, regional and country-specific data on air quality and health. In addition to the annual report, national air quality and health burden data are available in plots, maps and tables for ambient particulate matter, ozone, household pollution, deaths and DALYs (disability-adjusted life years).
GBD Compare: GBD (Global Burden of Disease) Compare is a highly interactive visualization tool developed by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. Use this tool to explore and compare the different health risks and disease burdens imposed by air pollution within and between demographics, countries and regions.
WHO World Health Statistics Annual Report: WHO provides an annual report of health statistics for WHO member states monitoring health for the Sustainable Development Goals. The 2018 annual report’s section, “Mortality Due to Air Pollution” (p. 39), shows the mortality rate attributed to household and ambient air pollution in each country.