PM2.5 air pollution was behind approximately 29,000 deaths in Thailand in 2021, according to a Greenpeace Southeast Asia analysis of IQAir data. The number of air pollution-related deaths per capita in Thailand last year exceeded those from road accidents, drug use and homicide combined, a new report finds.
In Bangkok, average PM2.5 concentrations exceeded the WHO’s annual mean Air Quality Guideline during every month of 2021 and were as high as nine times the WHO annual mean guideline during the worst polluted month of February, according to the report. Air pollution was responsible for an estimated 4,400 deaths in the city last year, and the risk of premature death for those living in Bangkok was estimated to be 13% higher than if the air had been clean.
Read The Burden of Air Pollution in Thailand 2021 report in full.