Dirty air causes 8 million deaths worldwide in 2023, costs $8.1 trillion: State of Global Air Report

Brussels: Air pollution caused almost eight million deaths worldwide in 2023, according to the State of Global Air Report 2025. The health impact is estimated by the World Bank to cost $8.1 trillion (Dh29.7 trillion) a year, around six per cent of global GDP.

"Pollution remains invisible for most people," Dr María Neira, former director of environment, climate change and health at the World Health Organisation, tells Euronews Earth. She says pollutant particles reach "any organ" in the body, including the brain, contributing to cognitive decline and diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and dementia.

According to Euronews, Breathe Cities, a global initiative that tackles urban air pollution, now works with 16 cities worldwide to expand access to air quality data and support clean air policies.

London has cut deaths linked to toxic air by around 40 per cent since introducing its Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) and other clean air measures, according to an independent study by Imperial College London.

In Sofia, Bulgaria, traffic and wood-burning heating remain the two biggest sources of pollution. "By 2023, we were estimated to be one of the cities with the most deaths attributable to air pollution," Dr Kostadin Kostadinov of the Medical University of Plovdiv tells Euronews Earth.

Political will, rather than technology, is now the main obstacle, according to Neira, who points to resistance from fossil fuel and transport industries as cities push for renewable energy and sustainable mobility. Climate change is expected to make the problem harder to solve.

Breathe Cities is now preparing a second phase of its work, extending support to more communities as it builds on the reductions already achieved in places such as London, Sofia and other participating cities.