The Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health released a report that calculated how many people died in 2019 due to unfavorable ecology. In total, polluted air, water and chemicals have caused 9 million deaths, according to NewScientist.
That's one in six deaths worldwide. Nearly as many people die from pollution as from smoking and secondhand smoke, and three times as many as from malnutrition, drugs and alcohol. At the same time, the researchers noted some progress - the death rate from pollution has not changed much since the last analysis made in 2015. There has been less death from pollution caused by extreme poverty, the consequences of which are dirty water, lack of sanitation, air pollution due to fuel burning. This is especially true for African countries. The improvement in performance can be attributed to improvements in water and sanitation, antibiotics, and cleaner fuels. However, the number of deaths associated with industrial pollution by toxic chemicals like lead has risen.
92% of pollution-related deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. The countries of Southeast Asia have been hardest hit, due to rising industrial pollution and an aging population that is becoming increasingly vulnerable.
Countries with the highest mortality caused by environmental pollution (2019 data)