Air pollution claimed 8.1mn lives in 2021

New Delhi: Air pollution contributed to 8.1 million deaths worldwide in 2021, with India and China recording 2.1 million and 2.3 million fatalities, respectively, according to a report released on Wednesday.

Published by the Health Effects Institute (HEI), an independent US-based research organisation, in partnership with UNICEF, the report also highlighted that air pollution claimed lives of 1,69,400 children in India under the age of five in 2021.

Nigeria followed with 1,14,100 child deaths, Pakistan with 68,100, Ethiopia with 31,100, and Bangladesh with 19,100, it said. The report said nearly 50 per cent of all ozone-related chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) deaths in 2021 were recorded in India (2,37,000 deaths), followed by China (1,25,600) and Bangladesh (15,000).

The report also said that air pollution was the leading risk factor for deaths in South Asia, followed by high blood pressure, diet, and tobacco. It was the second leading risk factor for death among children under five in 2021, after malnutrition.