When indoor air pollution makes the news in western countries, it often feels like a local issue. One week it focuses on wood-burning stoves. Another it is gas cookers or the question of whether people should open their windows more often in winter.

In developing countries, indoor air pollution is framed as a development problem, linked to people cooking and heating with wood, charcoal or other solid fuels, often in homes with limited ventilation.

These two debates rarely meet. Our new study, which analyses air pollution mortality risk across 150 countries, suggests they describe the same public health challenge.

We have found that air pollution, including exposure inside homes, contributes substantially to premature death worldwide – that is, deaths occurring earlier than expected due to air pollution-related increases in disease risk. Exposure levels and sources vary widely, but indoor air pollution consistently adds to national mortality risk across income levels.

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