Air Pollution & Environmental HealthMean PM2.5 exposure, the population breathing above the WHO guideline, air-pollution mortality & clean-cooking access — world, income groups, regions & ~55 of the largest countries

How to read this. Every figure is a World Bank reported value for a specific year — always shown next to the number, because the latest available year varies (PM2.5 exposure is modeled through 2020, the air-pollution death rate through 2019, clean-cooking access through 2023). This is descriptive: it shows where exposure and its health burden stand and how they have moved since 2000. It does not predict the future, and cross-country comparisons carry differences in measurement and completeness.

— — measured World Bank reported interpretive framing & selection

● The air almost everyone breathes measuredinterpretive

World mean PM2.5 exposure · —

—

World air-pollution mortality · —

—

World mean PM2.5 against health reference levels interpretive

WHO 2021 guideline 5

WHO interim 10

—

World mean PM2.5 (µg/m³), 2000→— measured

World air-pollution mortality (per 100k), 2000→—

—

▤ Most-exposed countries measured

—

Ranked across the ~55 most populous countries in this atlas (not all 200+ World Bank economies). For PM2.5, % over guideline and the death rate, the most-affected country is at the top; for clean-cooking access, the least-served is at the top. The year column is the latest available reported value for each country and indicator, which can differ between rows. Bar length is relative to the highest value shown.

◑ The exposure divide — by income group & region measured

—

World Bank aggregate series. Income groups (high / upper-middle / lower-middle / low) and regions are the Bank's own classifications. The spark line traces 2000→latest; "change" is latest vs. 2000. These aggregates are population-weighted estimates, not a simple average of member countries.

◎ Country profile measured

—

Mean PM2.5, 2000→latest measured

Air-pollution mortality, 2000→latest

How it compares — mean PM2.5, latest value

—