Air pollution kills nearly 1 million annually in South Asia: World Bank

Air pollution is causing almost one million premature deaths every year across South Asia, with nearly one billion people—including large populations in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bhutan—breathing unhealthy air daily, the World Bank said in a report released Thursday.

The report, A Breath of Change: Solutions for Cleaner Air in the Indo-Gangetic Plains and Himalayan Foothills, highlights the Indo-Gangetic Plains–Himalayan Foothills (IGP-HF) as one of the world’s most polluted regions, where toxic air has become a persistent public health and economic crisis.

According to the World Bank, the primary sources of pollution are household use of solid fuels for cooking and heating, inefficient industrial combustion, polluting vehicles, agricultural residue burning and poor waste management. Together, these factors are driving rising rates of respiratory illness, heart disease and early death.

The report says pollution levels could be significantly reduced through coordinated, large-scale action, delivering major health benefits while boosting economic growth. Key solutions include expanding electric cooking, modernising industrial boilers and kilns, promoting electric and non-motorised transport, improving crop residue and livestock waste management, and strengthening recycling and safe waste disposal systems.

It outlines a three-pronged strategy: cutting emissions at their source, protecting vulnerable populations—especially children—during the transition, and sustaining long-term progress through strong institutions, market-based tools and regional cooperation.

World Bank Senior Environmental Economist Martin Heger said the proposed measures are “practical, evidence-based and economically compelling,” offering clear incentives for households, farmers and businesses to adopt cleaner technologies.

The report also stresses the need for action across four pillars—information, incentives, institutions and infrastructure—to make clean air policies effective. Without urgent, coordinated efforts at local, national and regional levels, the Bank warns, air pollution will continue to claim hundreds of thousands of lives each year.