The State of Global Air report brings into one place the latest information on air quality and health for countries around the globe. It is produced annually by the Health Effects Institute and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation’s Global Burden of Disease project as a source of objective, peer-reviewed air quality data and analysis.
Like previous reports, this year’s publication presents information on outdoor and household air pollution and on the health impacts of exposure to air pollution. For the first time, the report also explores how air pollution affects life expectancy.
Who is it for?
The report is designed to introduce citizens, journalists, policymakers, and scientists to the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) project, a comprehensive effort to estimate and track human exposure to air pollution and its impact on human health around the world.
How can I explore the data?
This report has a companion interactive website that provides tools to explore, compare, and download data and graphics with the latest air pollution levels and associated burden of disease. Anyone can use the website to access data for 195 individual countries or territories and their related regions, as well as track trends from 1990 to 2017. Find it at stateofglobalair.org/data.
Only the beginning
Each year the report and website will be updated following the annual release of the GBD results. Annual updates will continue to report on global, national, and regional trends in air quality and health using the latest data.
What's new this year?
- Assessing impacts on life expectancy. Life expectancy — a measure of how long a person can expect to live — has always been an important indicator of the health of a society. This year, the State of Global Air features an analysis of how much air pollution reduces life expectancy in countries around the world.
- Accounting for risks from type 2 diabetes. In light of recent evidence indicating that air pollution contributes to the development of type 2 diabetes, this year’s assessment includes estimates of the related health burden.