According to the World Health Organization, approximately 95% of the world's population lives in areas with unsafe airborne contaminants. This primarily concerns the countries of Africa, the Middle East and South Asia.
Air pollution is attributable to approximately 11.2% of deaths worldwide, more than deaths from alcohol, physical inactivity or high sodium intake.
Air pollution is divided into three main categories: outdoor air pollution, high ozone concentration and indoor air pollution.
Air pollution is especially noticeable in North and West Africa and the Middle East, where mineral dust is present in the air. Also, some countries in this region burn all agricultural and forest waste and still heat houses with solid fuels, thus increasing air emissions.
In terms of ozone concentration, it is highest in the Middle East and South Asia.
Considering these factors separately, air pollution is ranked 6th in the list of causes of death worldwide, indoor pollution is 8th, and ozone concentration is 33rd. Together, in 2016, they caused 6.1 million deaths worldwide.
In addition to death, poor air quality can lead to the development of various diseases or disabilities. In general, people living in contaminated areas are more likely to end up in hospital or die due to heart attacks, heart disease and lung disease than people living in “clean” regions of the Earth.
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