Outdoor and indoor air pollution is a serious issue AIR POLLUTION for the region, increasing inequalities and holding back CHOKING ASIA’S PROSPECTS socioeconomic development.

Asia is home to % % of cities in low- and Asia dominated the global of the world’s urban middle-income countries with AirVisual most polluted city population, and by more than , inhabitants rankings for   with cities in  more than . do not meet the air quality India, the People's Republic billion people will live guidelines of the World Health of China, Pakistan, and in its urban areas Organization (WHO) Bangladesh occupying the top 

Deaths per , population Ranking among Ranking among WHO annual Annual average Maximum monthly attributable to outdoor and world’s most polluted world’s most polluted  indoor air pollution in   countries in   cities in   PM. guideline PM. level average PM. level

Air quality is Sensitive individuals should General public and sensitive There is a higher likelihood of General public will be General public is at high risk to satisfactory avoid outdoor activity as individuals in particular are at adverse eects and aggravation noticeably aected. experience strong irritations and . .. .. .. . and poses little they may experience risk to experience irritation to the heart and lungs among . Sensitive groups should . adverse health eects. Everyone or no risk. respiratory symptoms. and respiratory problems. the general public. restrict outdoor activities. should avoid outdoor activities.

. . DHAKA, BANGLADESH μg/m μg/m  DEATHS st th Air Pollution Meter  μg/m

.  . DELHI, INDIA μg/m μg/m  DEATHS rd th Air Pollution Meter  μg/m

. . ULAANBAATAR,JAKARTA, INDONESIA MONGOLIA μg/m μg/m  DEATHSDEATHS th th Air Pollution Meter  μg/m

.  . ULAANBAATAR, MONGOLIA μg/m μg/m  DEATHS th nd Air Pollution Meter  μg/m

.  . ULAANBAATAR,KATHMANDU, NEPAL MONGOLIA μg/m μg/m   DEATHS DEATHS th th Air Pollution Meter  μg/m

. . ULAANBAATAR,ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN MONGOLIA μg/m μg/m

Ulaanbaatar ranked nd most Air Pollution Meter   DEATHS DEATHS polluted city innd Asia in   th  μg/m

BEIJING,ULAANBAATAR, PEOPLE’S MONGOLIA REPUBLIC OF CHINA  . . μg/m μg/m   DEATHS DEATHS th nd Air Pollution Meter  μg/m

PM. = fine particulate matter less than . microns in diameter, μg/m = micrograms per cubic meter

United Nations Department of Economic and Social A airs.  . 68% of the World Population Projected to Live in Urban Areas by , says UN.  May. https://www.un.org/development/desa/en/news/population/2018-revision-of-world-urbanization-prospects.html.  WHO.  . WHO Global Ambient Air Quality Database (update  ). https://www.who.int/airpollution/data/cities/en/ (accessed  May  .  AirVisual.  . World Air Quality Report, Region and City PM. Ranking.  WHO. Global Health Observatory Data Repository: Joint Eects of Air Pollution, Data by Country. http://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.ENVHEALTHJOINTAAPHAP?lang=en (accessed  May  ).  Based on annual average PM. levels using available city data weighted by population. AirVisual.  . World Most Polluted Countries   (PM .). https://www.airvisual.com/world-most-polluted-countries (accessed  May  . 6 Based on annual average PM. levels. AirVisual.  . World Most Polluted Cities   (PM .). https://www.airvisual.com/world-most-polluted-cities (accessed  May  .  Guideline recommended by WHO to minimize the risk of health impacts, while advising that no level of exposure has been shown to be free of health impacts.