In the map above, only those cities represented by blue dots – which are clustered around northern Japan and the Gulf of Thailand – had air the WHO considers clean.  

Much of the poor air quality is being driven by the burning of fossil fuels for power generation, industry and transport, the burning of biomass, such as firewood, for home cooking, heating and lighting, and the unregulated burning of rubbish and crop leftovers. 

The effects of this air pollution are devastating. Among regions, Southeast Asia, East Asia and Oceania had the second-highest rate of premature death from PM2.5 in 2021, trailing only the Middle East and North Africa. China (2.3 million deaths), Indonesia (221,600 deaths), Myanmar (101,600 deaths) Vietnam (99,700 deaths) and the Philippines (98,200 deaths) were hit especially hard.  

A series of recent reports, supported by UNEP, looked at air pollution trends in Cambodia, Indonesia and Thailand. In those countries, five common pollutants – carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, PM2.5, sulfur dioxide and ammonia – are all edging upwards.  

The reports found the three nations could save a combined 230,000 lives by taking meaningful steps to reduce air pollution. The vast majority of those spared would be in Indonesia where air pollution is expected to contribute to more than 200,000 premature deaths annually by 2030.