Summary In 2019, ambient particulate matter pollution was the leading Level 4 risk factor for DALYs among environmental and occupational risks. It contributed to 118 million (95% UI 95·9–138) DALYs and 4·14 million (3·45–4·80) deaths in 2019.

Definition Ambient particulate matter pollution is the population-weighted annual average mass concentration of particles with an aerodynamic diameter less than 2·5 micrometres in a cubic metre of air. The TMREL is a uniform distribution between 2·4 and 5·9 µg/m3.

Total sources
Exposure 663
Relative risk 200
Table 1: Total sources used in GBD 2019 estimation
What is new in GBD 2019?
  • •Measurements from established ground monitors were updated, and data from 448 new monitors were added to the exposure measurement database.
  • •The effects of particulate matter pollution were included by estimating risk curves on birthweight (45 studies) and gestational age (31 studies) using MR-BRT.
  • •New MR-BRT relative risk curves were developed for the six outcomes of particulate matter pollution previously included in GBD; in GBD 2019 these no longer included active smoking data.
Deaths
YLLs
YLDs
DALYs
Number
(millions)
Rate (per
100 000)
Number
(millions)
Rate (per
100 000)
Number
(millions)
Rate (per
100 000)
Number
(millions)
Rate (per
100 000)
2019
Both Sexes
4·14 (3·45
to 4·80)
52·7 (44·0
to 61·1)
105 (84·9
to 123)
1343·1 (1080·5
to 1588·4)
13·3 (9·64
to 17·2)
161·3 (117·0
to 207·7)
118 (95·9
to 138)
1504·4 (1215·2
to 1767·3)
Females
1·70 (1·38
to 2·01)
39·8 (32·2
to 47·1)
40·8 (32·6
to 49·0)
1025·4 (815·0
to 1233·9)
6·71 (4·90
to 8·63)
155·2 (113·2
to 199·7)
47·5 (38·3
to 56·5)
1180·5 (940·9
to 1405·0)
Males
2·44 (2·02
to 2·83)
67·9 (56·3
to 78·8)
64·1 (51·7
to 75·8)
1690·6 (1359·7
to 2001·2)
6·61 (4·73
to 8·62)
167·9 (120·3
to 218·2)
70·7 (57·2
to 83·3)
1858·5 (1506·7
to 2185·3)
Percentage change 2010-19
Both Sexes
23·3% (13·9
to 34·4)
–3·7% (–10·8
to 4·9)
14·5% (4·1
to 26·8)
–4·5% (–12·9
to 5·5)
42·4% (35·5
to 49·3)
13·1% (7·7
to 18·5)
17·1% (7·0
to 29·0)
–2·9% (–10·9
to 6·5)
Females
25·2% (12·9
to 38·7)
–2·0% (–11·4
to 8·2)
15·7% (3·4
to 30·0)
–3·0% (–13·2
to 8·3)
44·2% (36·9
to 50·9)
14·7% (9·0
to 20·1)
19·0% (7·3
to 32·1)
–1·0% (–10·3
to 9·4)
Males
21·9% (10·2
to 35·5)
–5·1% (–13·8
to 4·8)
13·8% (2·3
to 27·3)
–5·7% (–14·9
to 5·1)
40·5% (33·4
to 48·5)
11·4% (5·8
to 17·4)
15·8% (4·7
to 29·0)
–4·3% (–13·1
to 6·0)
Numbers in parentheses are 95% uncertainty intervals.
Table 2: Attributable global deaths, YLLs, YLDs, and DALYs in counts and age-standardised rates for both sexes combined, females, and males, 2019, with percentage change between 2010 and 2019
Deaths YLLs YLDs DALYs
1990 11th 13th 17th 13th
2010 6th 9th 9th 9th
2019 6th 7th 8th 7th
Table 3: Rank among attributable most detailed risks of global deaths, YLLs, YLDs, and DALYs in 1990, 2010, and 2019 for both sexes combined
Figure 1: Composition of attributable global DALYs by constituent Level 2 causes for both sexes combined, 2019
Figure 2: Composition of attributable global DALYs by YLLs and YLDs, age group, and sex, 2019
No Legend
Figure 3: Age-standardised all-cause SEV by location, both sexes combined, 2019
No Legend
Figure 4: Percentage change in all-cause age-standardised SEV by SDI, both sexes combined, 1990–2019
Figure 5: Percentage of population exposed to risk factor, both sexes combined, 2019
Figure 6: All-cause mortality relative risk, both sexes combined, 2019