Pollution is killing more than 16,000 Britons each year

New figures from the World Health Organisation (WHO) have revealed that more than 16,000 Britons die each year because of air pollution.

In April, a group of MPs warned that dangerously high pollution in British cities was a “public health emergency”, calling on the government to take more action.

The deaths are from conditions such as strokes and lung cancer.

The new data reveals a global problem — with 92 per cent of people across the world living in places where air quality is substandard.

The UK is not the worst affected, with most pollution-related deaths occurring in developing or middle-income countries — with Turkmenistan and Tajikistan the world’s worse.

Egypt, India and Russia also form part of the top 11, according to WHO.

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“The new WHO model shows countries where the air pollution danger spots are, and provides a baseline for monitoring progress in combating it”, said WHO assistant director general Dr Flavia Bustreo.

“Air pollution continues to take a toll on the health of the most vulnerable populations — women, children and the older adults.

"For people to be healthy, they must breathe clean air from their first breath to their last”.

A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) spokeswoman said: “The government is firmly committed to improving the UK’s air quality and cutting harmful emissions.

"That’s why we have committed more than £2 billion to greener transport schemes since 2011 and set out a national plan to tackle pollution in our towns and cities”.

The 11 countries with the most deaths from air pollution
Turkmenistan
Tajikistan
Uzbekistan
Afghanistan
Egypt
Kazakhstan
India
Iraq
Saudi Arabia
Myanmar
Russia

(Credit: Geoff Robinson Photography/REX/Shutterstock)