The World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH), has released an updated version of the 2025 Air Quality Standards database
This resource collects national air quality standards for major pollutants and other airborne toxins from countries worldwide.
The new updated version shows the progress made globally toward aligning national standards with WHO’s air quality guidelines, further showing a significant increase in the number of countries setting regulatory standards to reduce air pollution’s harmful effects on human health.
Regulating global air quality
This updated version is important in providing insights into global efforts to regulate air quality.
It now includes data from 140 countries across all WHO regions, which shows the growing number of nations taking action to improve air quality.
The database covers key pollutants such as particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), ozone (O3), and carbon monoxide (CO), offering both short-term and long-term standards.
These values align with WHO’s global air quality guidelines, published in 2021, which were updated to incorporate the latest scientific evidence on the health impacts of air pollution.
Monitoring progress in air quality
The 2021 guidelines recommend stricter air quality levels to protect public health, showing the importance of reducing exposure to harmful pollutants.
The newly updated database is a good resource for policymakers, public health officials, researchers, and civil society organisations.
It allows stakeholders to monitor progress in setting and implementing air quality standards and provides the necessary data to support evidence-based policymaking. Therefore, driving action towards cleaner air and better health outcomes is important.
Eliminating the public health risks of air pollution
Air pollution is one of the leading environmental risks to human health, responsible for nearly 7 million deaths annually.
The health impacts of air pollution extend far beyond the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, affecting multiple organs and contributing to a range of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
These diseases include conditions such as lung cancer, stroke, and diabetes, which are linked to long-term exposure to poor air quality. The costs associated with air pollution are huge, creating more pressure on healthcare systems and jeopardising the well-being of vulnerable populations, particularly children and people with pre-existing health conditions.
Migrating the risks associated with air quality
By introducing stricter air quality standards based on WHO’s global guidelines, some of these risks can be eliminated.
Environmental factors account for a significant portion of the global disease, so policies that reduce air pollution could prevent millions of premature deaths.
Due to this, the WHO database works as a tool for tracking standards and also means to empower stakeholders to promote cleaner air.
Governments, public health organisations, and the health sector can use the database to push policy changes and ensure that air quality standards are integrated into national legislation.
The WHO’s efforts to encourage the adoption of stricter air quality standards are critical in the fight against NCDs. These diseases are preventable through effective air quality governance, which can be achieved by involving the health sector in developing air quality policies.
By implementing these standards into national laws, countries can demonstrate their commitment to improving public health and reducing the health burden caused by air pollution.
The updated WHO database also underscores the importance of international cooperation in tackling air pollution. Global health challenges, such as air pollution, require a joint effort across countries, sectors, and disciplines.
