August 06, 2024 Outdoor air pollution is a significant health issue that impacts well-being and mortality. It can increase the risk of several leading causes of death, including stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, and respiratory diseases like asthma. This chart shows that death rates from outdoor air pollution vary widely across countries. These rates, measured as the number of premature deaths per 100,000 people, are based on data from the IHME's Global Burden of Disease study. Outdoor air pollution tends to worsen as countries transition from low to middle-income status and industrialize. This is often due to increased energy and industrial emissions without adequate regulation and cleaner technologies. However, as countries reach higher income levels, death rates decline again as air quality improves.