Air Quality Life Index 2023

The Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) developed by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) is an index that measures particulate air pollution by a very significant metric: its effect on life expectancy. The 2022 annual update of the index was released on September 25, 2023. It was authored by Michael Greenstone and Christa Hasenkopf, researchers associated with EPIC.Fine particulate air pollution remains the greatest external threat to public health. The index illustrates the impact of PM2.5 (particulate matter 2.5 micrometres or smaller) pollution on human lives and states that an average human being loses 2.3 years of life expectancy due to exposure to particulate pollution. It also shows how policies combating air pollution can improve life expectancy in various parts of the world.This 38-page report is comprised of seven sections: Air Pollution’s Threat to Health and the Tools to Combat It Remain Unequally Distributed Worldwide (Section 1); South Asia Continues as Global Epicenter for Pollution (Section 2); Air Pollution is a Major Burden in Southeast Asia (Section 3); Central and West Africa is a Growing Pollution Hotbed (Section 4); Most Latin Americans are Breathing Air Exceeding the WHO Guideline (Section 5); China’s War Against Pollution Marches On (Section 6); and Despite Broad Improvements, Air Pollution Inequality Is Pervasive in the United States and Europe (Section 7).The present document also includes the AQLI 2023 India Fact Sheet.