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WHO estimated 2.9 million deaths in 2021 from household air pollution and 2.1 billion without clean cooking

Dated 24 October 2024: WHO estimated 2.9 million deaths in 2021 from household air pollution and 2.1 billion without clean cooking. In the causal graph this event weakens Air Pollution, a driver that strengthens Exposed to air pollution — an improving welfare path.

Who was responsible

Contribution type and responsibility level for each recorded actor — not sole-author shorthand.

No public contributors are listed for this fact.

What changed

Fact → Driver → Indicator. Relationship strength orders the paths; it is not the observed indicator movement.

    1. FactWHO estimated 2.9 million deaths in 2021 from household air pollution and 2.1 billion without clean cooking
    2. weakensDriverAir Pollution
    3. strengthensIndicators (2)Exposed to air pollution
    Improving path

    provisional weight · verified

    • Exposed to air pollution

      via Air Pollution

      Better

      Strengthens · 88% impact strength (driver → indicator)

      Observed

      95.9% of population · 3.28 below the normal line (2020)

      Better than normal

      3 readings, 2018–2020: fell from 97.6% of population to 95.9% of population.

      Above normal = worse

    • Age-standardised mortality rate from diseases of the circulatory system

      via Air Pollution

      Better

      Strengthens · 76% impact strength (driver → indicator)

      Observed

      403 deaths per 100,000 population · 164 above the normal line (2023)

      Worse than normal

      6 readings, 2018–2023: fell from 435 deaths per 100,000 population to 403 deaths per 100,000 population.

      Above normal = worse

Causal path

How this event connects to drivers and indicators in the graph.

  1. FactWHO estimated 2.9 million deaths in 2021 from household air pollution and 2.1 billion without clean cooking
  2. weakensDriverAir Pollution
  3. strengthensIndicatorExposed to air pollution

Cite this page

Factrail. (2026). WHO estimated 2.9 million deaths in 2021 from household air pollution and 2.1 billion without clean cooking. Factrail. https://factrail.ai/facts/who-household-air-pollution-burden-2-9-million

https://factrail.ai/facts/who-household-air-pollution-burden-2-9-million

Accessed 16 October 2026.

By the Factrail desk · Method: how we source and score · Last reviewed

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