4.1.4Active indicatorCosts of the Health Impacts of Air Pollution
4.1The economic impact of climate change and its mitigation
4.2The transition to net zero carbon, health-supporting economies
4.3Financial transitions for a healthy future
Indicator 4.1.4 · Economics
Costs of the Health Impacts of Air Pollution
Exposure to air pollution increases the risk of respiratory and cardiovascular disease, cancer, and premature death, creating a major health and economic burden. Many major sources of greenhouse gas emissions, particularly fossil fuel combustion, also produce health-harming air pollution, meaning climate change mitigation can simultaneously prevent deaths and avoid substantial economic losses. This indicator tracks the monetised costs of premature mortality attributable to anthropogenic air pollution.
Headline finding
In 2023, the monetised costs of premature mortality due to air pollution amounted to US$ 7.25 trillion, the equivalent of 6.5% of gross world product (GWP).
Data: loading…
Figure 1
Costs of the Health Impacts of Air Pollution
Monetised value of years of life lost (VYLL) due to premature mortality from ambient PM2.5 exposure, from 2007 to 2023, by Human Development Index (HDI) group, WHO region, Lancet Countdown (LC) region, and globally. Values are reported in 2025 US$ billions, as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP), and as the equivalent number of average annual incomes lost (millions).
Loading chart…
About this indicator
Description
This indicator estimates the change in Years of Life Lost (YLL) due to anthropogenic PM2.5 for 140 countries for each year between 2007 and 2023. It combines data from indicator 3.2.1 and the value of statistical life-year (VSLY) estimated for the member countries of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development using a fixed ratio of the value of VSLY to gross domestic product (gross domestic product) per capita. The value of mortality is presented as proportion of total gross domestic product, and as number of peoples’ incomes the loss would be equivalent to in a given country and region, and as a dollar amount at global level.
Data downloads
Caveats
Inequality embedded within the economic costs of heat-related mortalities across different social groups are ignored in this indicator due to lack of data. Democratic People's Republic of Korea is excluded from the analysis due to the lack of reliable GDP data. Somalia has now been included from the HDI analysis as it now has an HDI classification. Data for previous years differs from those presented in earlier reports due to updated data. See Indicator 3.2.1, for caveats related to the calculation of reduced life expectancy. Caveats regarding the calculation of VSLY are discussed under indicator 4.1.2.
Data sources
- Ambient air pollution death data from indicator 3.2.1.
- World Population Prospects 2026. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
- World Economic Outlook Databases, 2025. International Monetary Fund.
- World Bank GDP data
- Value of Statistical Life Year (VSLY) data from Indicator 4.1.2.