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


Figure 3:
Age-standardised all-cause SEV by location, both sexes combined, 2019


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