Ambient Air Pollution

Air quality, energy and health

The unit provides technical support to WHO’s Member States in the development of normative guidance, tools and provision of authoritative advice on health issues related to air pollution and its sources. The unit leads monitoring and reporting on global trends and changes in health outcomes associated with actions taken to address air pollution at the national, regional and global scales.

About us

Technical information

Health impacts

Informing policy and progress

Outreach & advocacy

Planning and evaluation tools

Sectoral interventions

Data and maps

The Global Health Observatory (Air Pollution)

Database on electrification of health-care facilities

Highlights

WHO invites governments, agencies and organizations to pledge voluntary actions to reduce the health impacts of air pollution by 50% by 2040.

Stop polluting the air we breathe – prevent diseases and save lives

News

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25 June 2025

Joint News Release

Energy access has improved, yet international financial support still needed to boost progress and address disparities

12 June 2025

Departmental update

WHO’s “Beat the Heat” initiative making strides to protect workers and event participants from extreme heat and related environmental hazards

Feature Stories

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12 July 2023

Air pollution: The invisible health threat

6 October 2021

Launch of WHO's Household Energy Policy Repository

Factsheets

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23 April 2025

Sand and dust storms

24 October 2024

Ambient (outdoor) air pollution

16 October 2024

Household air pollution

31 August 2023

Electricity in health-care facilities

Questions and answers

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Air pollution: Reducing short-lived climate pollutants

Air pollution: Personal interventions and risk communication

Health-impact-assessment (HIA) and its role in decision making

WHO’s Fifth WHO Air Quality Database of over 6000 Cities

Calls For

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4 November 2024

Expression of interest

Call for expression of interest Consultant(s): Systematic review of the health effects of black carbon and mitigation opportunities

21 February 2024

Call for experts

Open call for Consultant: Impact investing, electricity access and renewable energy

Events

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25 July 2025 16:30 – 17:30 CET

A spotlight on Paris - a dialogue with Mayor Anne Hidalgo on promoting health, clean air, and climate resilience

17 July 2025 14:00 – 15:15 CET

Webinar: Launch of WHO’s Science and Policy Summaries (SPS) on Air Quality, Energy and Health

Publications

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The synergies of heat stress and air pollution and its health impacts

Projections indicate that climate change will result in more frequent and intense extreme weather events in the coming decades. Among these, an increase...

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Climate change, air pollution, pollen and health

Air pollution and climate change together worsen the health impacts of allergens like pollen and airborne biological particles, leading to increased inflammatory...

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Agriculture: sectoral solutions for air pollution and health

Agricultural air pollution is a significant but often under-recognized source of health and economic burdens worldwide. Beyond its impact on human health,...

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Air quality legislation and implications for health

There is extensive evidence on the harmful health effects of air pollution, which has guided the development of WHO's Air Quality Guidelines. These guidelines...

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Documents

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Tracking SDG 7: The Energy Progress Report 2025 finds that almost 92% of the world’s population now has basic access to electricity. Although this...

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The Energy Progress Report 2025 finds that almost 92% of the world’s population now has basic access to electricity Although this is an...

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The directory is an online repository with more than 200 open access resources and tools updated on a regular basis that provide information on the importance...

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The WHO Air Quality, Energy and Health Science and Policy Summaries (SPS) provide concise overviews of current knowledge and evidence on topics related...

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Initiatives