More than one-third of countries worldwide lack government-level air quality monitoring, leaving nearly one billion people in the dark about one of the greatest risks to their health, a new report showed on Friday.

The assessment by non-profit OpenAQ, which maintains the largest open-source database of air quality measurements, found significant gaps in government tracking and sharing of air quality data, particularly in low and middle-income countries. The biennial report is the only global assessment of whether and how national governments are producing and sharing air quality data with the public.

Thirty-six per cent of countries provide no government monitoring of air quality, with 90% of people in nations without monitoring programs living in low and lower-middle-income countries, where the World Health Organization (WHO) says higher pollution levels and disease rates make populations especially vulnerable. A further 9% of countries do collect government air quality data but do not share it publicly, widening the gap of public access to this critical health threat even further.

Air pollution ranks as a leading cause of death and disability in all the most populated countries without monitoring, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Afghanistan and Iran. Progress in expanding monitoring remains slow, with only a 3% increase in countries conducting national or subnational air quality monitoring since 2022.

“In order to deliver clean air for all, governments need to not only track air quality, but also offer an accessible, quality data set,” said Dr Colleen Rosales, OpenAQ’s Strategic Partnership Director. “Billions of people do not know what they are breathing and could benefit from greater data transparency.”

Air pollution, mainly from fossil fuel emissions, kills more than eight million people annually and costs over $8 trillion worldwide, making it the largest environmental health risk. Its impact on life expectancy matches that of smoking and exceeds that of alcohol use, transport injuries and HIV/AIDS.

Exposure to pollutants in the air affects health from birth, causing respiratory diseases, cardiovascular problems and developmental issues, with babies, young children and low-income communities facing the greatest risks. WHO data shows 99% of people worldwide breathe unhealthy air every day.

Transparent data would benefit billions 

While NGOs, academic institutions and private companies monitor air quality, government data provides unique value through continuous, comprehensive measurements. Unlike time-limited studies, government monitoring tracks a wider range of pollutants, supporting regulatory compliance, legal proceedings, health research, pollution tracking and air quality forecasting.

Only 55% of governments share their air quality data publicly, with just 27% providing it in a fully transparent and accessible format, the report found. Countries facing major air pollution crises that continue to lack transparency include China, Russia, India, Pakistan, and seven other major nations with populations of at least 70 million people.

“While many populous countries have partially shared their air quality data, an increase in transparency could benefit over 4.5 billion people,” the report said. “Barely over one-quarter of countries provide full and easy public access to data detailed enough to inform scientific inquiry and pollution reduction policies.”

Countries lacking transparent reporting frequently rely on Air Quality Index (AQI) systems that vary widely between nations, often triggering different health warnings for the same pollution levels and confusing communication with the public. While these help with daily decision-making, they lack the detailed measurements scientists and policymakers need for research and regulation.

India and Pakistan illustrate the data transparency challenges, even as their cities rank among the world’s most polluted. Both countries share air quality data only in “static, non-machine-readable formats” like PDFs and graphics rather than analysable datasets, the report said. Last month, Delhi suspended schools and construction as pollution reached twenty times WHO’s safe limit, while Lahore recorded its highest-ever levels. The severity of the crisis has forced long-time rivals toward cooperation, with Pakistan’s Punjab province seeking unprecedented talks with India.

“Although sharing data as a PDF or graphic is a good first step, when data are provided in a machine-readable, analysis-ready and standardized form, many more use cases—and ultimately, impact—can be derived from the data,” the report found. “In the quest for clean air for all, we appeal to all governments to offer data-transparent air quality monitoring versus only the 27% that do so today.”

Some nations have made progress, with 30 countries improving their monitoring or transparency since 2022. Eleven countries, including Japan, Italy and Kenya, achieved full transparency in that period.

Barriers to monitoring

Nearly one billion people live in countries without air quality monitoring, but government inaction isn’t always the cause. Many nations, particularly low- and middle-income countries, lack the financing and technical expertise to implement monitoring systems. A 2022 Clean Air Fund survey found one-third of 119 countries could not establish monitoring networks due to these constraints.

The report suggests increased investment could quickly expand monitoring, but funding remains scarce. Only 0.5% of development aid and 0.1% of philanthropic funding targets clean air initiatives. Health programs linked to climate change – a key driver of mounting air pollution deaths – receive just 2% of adaptation funds and 0.5% of multilateral climate funding.

War and civil conflict have also disrupted monitoring efforts. Air quality monitoring systems have collapsed amid wars in Ukraine and Palestine, while ongoing civil conflict in Sudan has prevented any progress on building air surveillance infrastructure.

Beyond disrupting measurement systems, warfare itself creates severe pollution. Millions of bullets, grenades, bombs and missiles detonated in Ukraine during Russia’s ongoing assault led to an abrupt spike in air pollution across Europe, with around a 10% increase in harmful pollutants such as PM2.5 and NO2 in cities near the fighting.

The health impacts of air pollution in war zones are also likely underestimated, according to research from the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease. Even small increases in pollutants significantly raise hospitalization risks for cardiovascular and respiratory conditions, while war zones face multiple simultaneous pollution sources and populations under extreme stress, weakening their response to environmental hazards.

“In a war zone, air pollution is likely to result in more deaths than bombs,” the Union found.

Image Credits: Partnership for Health Cities.