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13 October, 2025
State of Global Air (SoGA) Report 2025
Sat 25 Oct, 2025
Reference:
- The Health Effects Institute (HEI) and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), in collaboration with the NCD Alliance, released the State of Global Air (SoGA) Report 2025.
Key Points:
- This report provides a comprehensive analysis of global air pollution and its health impacts.
- This is the sixth edition of the report, based on 2023 data, and for the first time includes the impact of air pollution on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as dementia.
- Objective: The aim of SoGA 2025 is to assess global air quality, sources of pollution, and their health impacts. It tracks trends from 1990 to 2023 and provides data for over 200 countries.
New Features:
- Focus on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs): Heart disease, lung diseases (COPD), diabetes, lung cancer, and dementia for the first time.
- Link between dementia and air pollution: Effects on brain health, especially among the elderly.
- Comparison with WHO air quality guidelines: For example, the annual mean for PM2.5 is 5 µg/m³.
Global Health and Mortality Overview
| Indicator | Data | Relevance |
| Total deaths (2023) | 7.9 million | 1 in 8 deaths globally was attributable to air pollution |
| Healthy life years lost | 232 million years | A large number of healthy life years were lost due to exposure to air pollution in 2023 |
| Highest burden regions | Low- and middle-income countries | Especially South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Southeast Asia bore the highest health burden |
Country-Specific Data: India and China
- India and China: In 2023, both countries experienced over 2 million deaths each due to air pollution.
- Increase in India: Deaths in India due to air pollution rose from 1.4 million in 2000 to 2 million in 2023, marking a 43% increase over two decades.
Impact of Air Pollution on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs)
The report emphasizes that air pollution mainly causes premature mortality through NCDs. 86% of total air-pollution-related deaths were linked to NCDs.
| Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) | Proportion of deaths due to air pollution |
| Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) | 1 in 2 deaths |
| Heart disease | 1 in 4 deaths |
| Dementia | More than 1 in 4 deaths |
| Diabetes | About 1 in 6 deaths |
Dementia and Neurodegenerative Diseases:
- In 2023, air-pollution-related dementia caused 626,000 deaths and 11.6 million healthy life years lost.
- Long-term exposure to PM2.5 has been strongly linked with cognitive decline and neurodegeneration.
Demographic and Geographic Impact
- Age group: 95% of air-pollution-related deaths occurred in adults aged 60 years and above.
- Out of the 7.9 million global deaths, 6.8 million were due to NCDs.
PM2.5 Risk:
- 36% of the world population lives in areas where PM2.5 levels exceed the WHO interim target (35 µg/m³).
- 11% of the world population lives in areas where no national air quality standards exist to enforce air quality limits.