LONDON — About half of adults worldwide (47%) are not worried about being seriously harmed by the air they breathe, according to the latest World Risk Poll report. This is nearly on par with the slim majority (52%) who are either somewhat (34%) or very (18%) worried about air pollution.
The current level of worry contrasts with the scale of the risk. According to the World Health Organization, almost all humans (99%) regularly breathe unsafe air that threatens their health. Air pollution is associated with an increased risk of health issues such as cancer, stroke and respiratory illness. It is estimated to have contributed to nearly 8 million global deaths in 2023 (out of roughly 60 million total deaths that year).
These findings are featured in the 2026 Lloyd’s Register Foundation report, The Quiet Hazards: How Everyday Risk Shapes Daily Life, published in partnership with Gallup, which examines how people across 140 countries think about different risks in their lives.
Alongside measuring people’s relative lack of worry that poor air quality could cause them serious harm, the World Risk Poll also finds that 12% of adults worldwide acknowledge they have experienced personal harm from polluted air in the past two years.
The finding that nearly half of adults across these countries do not worry about experiencing harm from air pollution may mainly be linked to two factors. Compared with other more immediate hazards like road accidents or violent crime, the effects of air pollution build over time, meaning many people may not realize that the air they breathe is seriously harming their health. Others may never suffer serious health complications from air pollution, despite the risk. But low levels of worry could also reflect a degree of risk habituation, in which people are aware of the pollution risk but feel resigned to living in an environment they feel unable to change.1
People Worry Less About Harmful Air Than Other Risks
Of the 10 risks measured in the poll, similar percentages say they worry about being harmed by the water they drink (52%) or by the work they do (51%) as by the air they breathe (52%). However, people worry less about air pollution than wildfires (56%), severe weather events such as floods (68%), and severe prolonged weather events such as droughts and heat waves (71%).
Other risks also generate higher levels of worry than air pollution does, including mental health issues (54%), food safety (60%), violent crime (65%) and traffic accidents (77%).
Even in the Most Polluted Countries, Most Are Not Worried
Based on annual Air Quality Index (AQI) data, 14 countries surveyed by the World Risk Poll exceed WHO safe limits for harmful particulates by at least 35 times, meaning the air poses a particularly serious health risk. Higher numbers on the index reflect higher levels of pollution. Yet, in most of these countries — all but Bangladesh, Nepal and Chad — majorities say they are not worried about air quality seriously affecting their health.
Further, Bahrain and Egypt are among the 10 countries surveyed worldwide that are the most likely to say they are not worried, registering 77% and 74%, respectively.
In 80 of the 140 countries surveyed, more than half of adults say they are not worried about being harmed by the air they breathe. The highest levels are in Sweden (85%), Saudi Arabia (84%), Finland (84%) and Norway (83%).
Bottom Line
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has stated that “for too many around the world, blue skies have been stained gray by inaction and injustice.” Nevertheless, the latest World Risk Poll data show that many people are not worried about the air they breathe.
This lack of concern, particularly in some of the most polluted countries, may be attributable to a lack of knowledge or thinking that poor air quality is simply a fact of life. Either way, it could cause further harm to people already most exposed to air pollution, despite it being a health risk that nearly everyone faces to differing degrees. Those unaware of the hazards may not enact adaptive behaviors to minimize their risk, and those resigned to their situation while knowing the dangers may not feel compelled to demand change to clean up their air.
Read more in the World Risk Poll report, The Quiet Hazards: How Everyday Risk Shapes Daily Life, from Lloyd’s Register Foundation.
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For complete methodology and specific survey dates, please review Gallup's Country Data Set details. Learn more about how the Gallup World Poll works.
Footnotes
[1] Boso, A., Oltra, C., Alvarez, B., Garrido, J., Hofflinger, A., Gálvez-García, G. (2024). Why do we misperceive air pollution? A scoping review of key judgmental biases. Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health, 18, 447-460.
