Mortality rate attributed to household and ambient air pollution (per 100 000 population, age-standardized)
Environment, Climate Change, One Health and Migration
We work to prevent disease and promote health by addressing key areas of environmental health including climate change, clean energy; air quality; water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH); and chemicals and radiation. Health threats are addressed through a One Health approach that crosses the human, animal, and environmental sectors. It also promotes inclusive health policies and resilient health systems to meet the needs of migrants, refugees and displaced populations.
Air quality, energy and health
Sustainable development goals and air pollution
WHO has worked to ensure that health-relevant indicators of household and ambient pollution exposure and burden of disease are included in the formal system of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) indicators.
Leveraging its technical expertise, WHO monitors and tracks progress on health indicators to measure progress toward achieving the SDG3 on health, SDG7 on energy, and SDG11 on cities.
Targets of particular relevance to ambient and household air pollution include:
- SDG target 3.9.1, which calls for a substantial reduction in deaths and illnesses from air pollution.
- SDG target 7.1.2, which aims to ensure access to clean energy in homes
- SDG target 11.6.2, which aims to reduce the environmental impact of cities by improving air quality
WHO uses national reference-grade ground measurements, satellite data, chemical transport models and population information to derive model population-weighted concentrations of particulate matter that is reported as annual air pollution in cities in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11. Information on exposure to household and ambient air pollution from SDG 7 and SDG 11 are then used to derive the combined burden of disease from air pollution in SDG 3. The WHO global household energy database tracks energy use for cooking, heating and lighting, and is being used to measure progress toward achieving Sustainable Development Goal 7.
WHO will continue to produce statistics for tracking these indicators on a regular basis.
Proportion of population with primary reliance on clean fuels and technologies for cooking (%)
Concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5)
