About one-third of the global population is still exposed to harmful indoor air pollution from cooking fuels, driving millions of deaths each year, particularly among young children.
Gabriela Galvin reports for Euronews.
In short:
- Household air pollution contributed to 3.1 million deaths in 2021, including over 500,000 children under five, mostly in low-income countries.
- While global exposure dropped from 56.7% in 1990 to 33.8% in 2021, population growth means 2.67 billion people remain exposed.
- Sub-Saharan Africa saw pollution-related deaths rise from 685,000 to 741,000 between 1990 and 2021 due to persistent reliance on solid fuels.
Key quote:
“The high level of paediatric burden estimated in this study is a major cause for concern.”
— Study authors, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation
Why this matters:
Indoor air pollution from solid fuels remains one of the world’s most persistent and underreported public health threats. In millions of households across sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and parts of Latin America, daily cooking over wood, charcoal, or dung fires fills small, enclosed spaces with smoke. The fine particulate matter released is invisible, but it can lodge deep in the lungs and bloodstream, raising the risk of asthma, heart disease, lung cancer, and even stroke. Children are particularly vulnerable, with studies linking exposure to pneumonia, stunted growth, and cognitive delays.
This reflects deeper systemic challenges around energy equity and infrastructure. Families using solid fuels typically do so not by choice, but because cleaner options like electricity or gas are too expensive or simply unavailable. As governments and aid agencies push for cleaner cooking initiatives, progress has been halting, hampered by economic instability, cultural practices, and limited investment. For now, the smoke lingers, largely out of sight of the global public, but with long-lasting health consequences that ripple across generations.
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