Air pollution has a huge impact on human health, and has become the second leading risk factor for death globally.

The State of Global Air (SOGA) 2024 report released on Wednesday shows that air pollution caused 8.1 million deaths globally in 2021, including more than 700,000 children under the age of five.

The report, released by the Health Effects Institute (HEI), a US-based independent non-profit research organisation, in partnership with UNICEF, found that children under the age of 5 are particularly affected, with more than 2,60,600 dying from pollution-related causes in South Asia, where it is the second leading cause of death after malnutrition.

Improvements in air quality and energy availability have led to progress, and pollution-linked child mortality has fallen by 53% since 2000.

Despite these progress, the report highlights the urgent need for further action to prevent air pollution from threatening health and well-being, particularly among young and vulnerable populations.

India witnessed the highest number of deaths of children under the age of 5 worldwide due to air pollution in the year 2021. The good news is that the number of deaths of children under the age of 5 due to air pollution is decreasing over time.

The levels of ozone, a secondary pollutant, and deaths due to ozone have been increasing over time. In 2000, exposure to ozone caused 93,000 deaths in India, while in 2021, exposure to ozone caused 2,72,000 deaths in India.

According to the report, countries in South Asia, East-West Central and Southern Africa have the highest burden of diseases related to air pollution.

India, with a population of over 1 billion, has seen 2.1 million deaths and China 2.3 million. The two countries together account for 54% of the total global disease burden.

Nearly 50% (2,37,000 deaths) of ozone-related COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) deaths in 2021 occurred in India, followed by China with 1,25,600 deaths and Bangladesh with 15,000 deaths.

The proportion of the population experiencing high ozone exposure is increasing in many regions of the world, including India, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Brazil, where ambient ozone exposure has increased by more than 10% over the past decade.