| Income Level | GNI per Capita |
|---|---|
| Low | $1,045 or Less |
| Lower-Middle | $1,046 to $4,125 |
| Upper-Middle | $4,126 to $12,736 |
| High | $12,736 or More |
A BALANCING ACT: HUMAN NEEDS AND
SUSTAINABLE RESOURCES
Countries are increasingly challenged to meet their citizens' growing material needs—fueled by rising populations and/or better living standards—and at the same time sustainably steward their natural resources. The 2016 World Population Data Sheet focuses on this balancing act. Some Data Sheet indicators measure people's ability to live healthy, productive lives; others measure resource management—and how mismanagement can harm human and planetary health. Together, these indicators give a broad snapshot of the state of the world's population, global health, and the environment
AIR POLLUTION,
PARTICULATE MATTER,
AND HUMAN HEALTH
Particulate matter (PM) in the air is composed of dust, dirt, soot, smoke, and liquid droplets. Fine PM (particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers, known as PM2.5) can lodge deeply in the lungs and is hazardous to humans and to the environment. Numerous studies have linked PM2.5 to serious health problems including irregular heartbeat, asthma, heart attack, and premature death. Particulate matter can also pollute waterways and damage forests and crops.
Annual Average Ambient Concentration of Fine Particulate Matter (PM 2.5) in Micrograms per Cubic Meter, Average Across U.S. Counties
Notes: Large Metro is defined as 1 million population or more. Mid to Small Metro is defined as a metropolitan area with less than 1 million population.
Sources: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Particulate Matter (PM) Basics,” accessed at www.epa.gov/pm-pollution/particulate-matter-pm-basics#PM, on August 3, 2016; PRB analysis of data from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Environmental Public Health Tracking Network, Outdoor Air, Annual PM 2.5 Level based on Seasonal Averages and Daily Measurement (Monitor + Modeled),” accessed at www.cdc.gov/ephtracking, on May 18, 2016; U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, “County Typology Codes,” accessed at www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/county-typology-codes.aspx, and “Rural-Urban Continuum Codes,” accessed at https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/rural-urban-continuum-codes.aspx on May 18, 2016; and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Fine Particle (PM2.5) Designations,” accessed at https://www3.epa.gov/pmdesignations/faq.htm, on June 7, 2016.
U.S. AIR QUALITY IMPROVEMENTS LED BY METRO AREAS
Notes: Large Metro is defined as 1 million population or more. Mid to Small Metro is defined as a metropolitan area with less than 1 million population.
Sources: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Particulate Matter (PM) Basics,” accessed at www.epa.gov/pm-pollution/particulate-matter-pm-basics#PM, on August 3, 2016; PRB analysis of data from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Environmental Public Health Tracking Network, Outdoor Air, Annual PM 2.5 Level based on Seasonal Averages and Daily Measurement (Monitor + Modeled),” accessed at www.cdc.gov/ephtracking, on May 18, 2016; U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, “County Typology Codes,” accessed at www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/county-typology-codes.aspx, and “Rural-Urban Continuum Codes,” accessed at https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/rural-urban-continuum-codes.aspx on May 18, 2016; and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Fine Particle (PM2.5) Designations,” accessed at https://www3.epa.gov/pmdesignations/faq.htm, on June 7, 2016.
Air quality in the United States has improved since passage of the Clean Air Act of 1963 and its major amendments in 1970, 1977, and 1990. Stricter emissions regulations have reduced PM2.5 pollution nationwide, but rates of improvement have been fastest in metropolitan areas and manufacturing-dependent counties, which have higher levels of particulate pollution from motor vehicles, power plants, and industrial activity. Although rates of improvement have been slower in rural, mining, and agricultural areas, PM2.5 pollution remains lower than in metropolitan areas or manufacturing-dependent counties. And while air quality has improved, U.S. public health experts believe there is no safe level of exposure to particulate matter.
Trend in Annual Average Ambient Concentration of Fine Particular Matter (PM2.5) in Micrograms per Cubic Meter, Averages Across Countries by Income Category
Notes: Country level PM2.5 estimates are calculated using satellite-based estimates, chemical transport model simulations, and ground measurements. Country estimates are aggregated to income level groups by the World Bank.
Sources: Michael Brauer et al., “Ambient Air Pollution Exposure Estimation for the Global Burden of Disease 2013,” Environmental Science & Technology 50, no. 1 (2016): 79-88; World Bank, “Country and Lending Groups,” accessed at https://data.worldbank.org/about/country-and-lending-groups, on June 16, 2016; World Health Organization (WHO), WHO Air Quality Guidelines for Particulate Matter, Ozone, Nitrogen Dioxide, and Sulfur Dioxide: Global Update 2005, Summary of Risk Assessment (Geneva: WHO, 2005); WHO, “Ambient (Outdoor) Air Quality and Health,” Fact Sheet 313 (March 2014), accessed at www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs313/en/, on June 16, 2016; and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Fine Particle (PM2.5) Designations,” accessed at https://www3.epa.gov/pmdesignations/faq.htm, on June 7, 2016.
MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES FACE BIGGEST AIR POLLUTION CHALLENGE
Notes: Country level PM2.5 estimates are calculated using satellite-based estimates, chemical transport model simulations, and ground measurements. Country estimates are aggregated to income level groups by the World Bank.
Sources: Michael Brauer et al., “Ambient Air Pollution Exposure Estimation for the Global Burden of Disease 2013,” Environmental Science & Technology 50, no. 1 (2016): 79-88; World Bank, “Country and Lending Groups,” accessed at https://data.worldbank.org/about/country-and-lending-groups, on June 16, 2016; World Health Organization (WHO), WHO Air Quality Guidelines for Particulate Matter, Ozone, Nitrogen Dioxide, and Sulfur Dioxide: Global Update 2005, Summary of Risk Assessment (Geneva: WHO, 2005); WHO, “Ambient (Outdoor) Air Quality and Health,” Fact Sheet 313 (March 2014), accessed at www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs313/en/, on June 16, 2016; and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Fine Particle (PM2.5) Designations,” accessed at https://www3.epa.gov/pmdesignations/faq.htm, on June 7, 2016.
Worldwide, the highest national-level concentrations of PM2.5 are in middle-income countries such as China and Bangladesh where adoption of pollution control measures has lagged behind rapid industrialization. The challenge for both low-income and middle-income nations is to ensure people have clean air to breathe without hindering development. As depicted in the accompanying U.S. graphic, particulate air pollution in many of the world’s high-income countries has declined with shifts towards more efficient energy use and away from manufacturing. However, no group of countries is immune to the dangers of air pollution; even the high-income average surpasses the World Health Organization’s target of limiting the presence of PM2.5 to no more than 10 micrograms per cubic meter of air. China, at 54 micrograms per cubic meter, currently is over five times this level, while France, at 14 micro grams per cubic meter, exceeds the recommended level by 40 percent.
MUNICIPAL WASTE
VOLUMES PER CAPITA
RISE WITH INCOME
Annual Municipal Waste per Capita
Sources: David C. Wilson, Ljiljana Rodic, Michael J. Cowing, Costas A. Velis et al., “‘Wasteaware’ Benchmark Indicators for Integrated Sustainable Waste Management in Cities,” Waste Management 35, no. 1 (2015): 329-43; United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and International Solid Waste Association (ISWA), Global Waste Management Outlook, David C. Wilson, ed. (Vienna: ISWA International Secretariat, 2015).
PRB gratefully acknowledges David C. Wilson of Imperial College London, Costas Velis of the University of Leeds and Ljiljana Rodic, an independent consultant in the Netherlands, for providing access to the latest data derived from their application of the ‘Wasteaware’ benchmark indicators to 40 cities worldwide.
Sources: David C. Wilson, Ljiljana Rodic, Michael J. Cowing, Costas A. Velis et al., “‘Wasteaware’ Benchmark Indicators for Integrated Sustainable Waste Management in Cities,” Waste Management 35, no. 1 (2015): 329-43; United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and International Solid Waste Association (ISWA), Global Waste Management Outlook, David C. Wilson, ed. (Vienna: ISWA International Secretariat, 2015).
PRB gratefully acknowledges David C. Wilson of Imperial College London, Costas Velis of the University of Leeds and Ljiljana Rodic, an independent consultant in the Netherlands, for providing access to the latest data derived from their application of the ‘Wasteaware’ benchmark indicators to 40 cities worldwide.
Proper municipal waste disposal is a public health and environmental priority as urban populations grow. City residents without regular refuse collection services risk exposure to contaminants that spread into soil, streets, and water. Uncontrolled dumpsites taint water tables and release airborne toxins as unsorted refuse is burned. Global municipal waste data show that per capita volumes tend to rise with average income levels but negative impacts lessen as wealthier cities improve waste processing systems. While some cities in lower-income countries have expanded collection coverage, many still lag in proper waste processing—or controlled disposal. Collection in Lahore, Pakistan covers 77 percent of the population but only 18 percent of collections go to a controlled disposal facility. Lusaka, Zambia has 63 percent coverage and a 45 percent rate of controlled disposal. Recycling rates reach relatively high levels in some lower-income countries, often due to informal recycling networks.
MORE PEOPLE HAVE
IMPROVED ACCESS TO
WATER AND SANITATION
Percent of Population With Improved Access to Sanitation and
Water, 1990 and 2014, Select Countries
Source: UNICEF and World Health Organization (WHO), 25 Years: Progress on Sanitation and Drinking Water, 2015 Update and MDG Assessment (Geneva: UNICEF and WHO, 2015).
Water, 1990 and 2014, Select Countries
Source: UNICEF and World Health Organization (WHO), 25 Years: Progress on Sanitation and Drinking Water, 2015 Update and MDG Assessment (Geneva: UNICEF and WHO, 2015).
Access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation is fundamental to sustainable development and human health. Progress on water in the past 25 years has brought access to piped water close to home (the definition of improved access) to 91 percent of the world’s population, up from 76 percent in 1990. Of those remaining without improved access, nearly half are in sub-Saharan Africa. Sanitation status has been more varied, yet progress is clear. Whereas some countries, like Chile, already had good access that is now almost universal, other countries have made more progress on sanitation than water, such as Angola. Still, more than 2.4 billion people, mostly in eastern and southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, do not have access to improved sanitation facilities. And urban-rural gaps are sharp: Eighty-two percent of urban dwellers, but only 51 percent of rural residents, use improved sanitation facilities. Most developed countries have nearly universal access to water and sanitation.
AQUACULTURE
MEETS FISH
DEMAND AS OCEAN
CATCHES DECLINE
Trend in Annual World Fish Supply by Source and Fish Consumption per Capita, 1970-2012
Sources: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, 2014 State of the World Fisheries and Aquaculture: Opportunities and Challenges (Rome: FAO, 2014); and FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, “Online Query Panels,” accessed at www.fao.org/fishery/topic/16140/en, on July 1, 2016.
Sources: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, 2014 State of the World Fisheries and Aquaculture: Opportunities and Challenges (Rome: FAO, 2014); and FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, “Online Query Panels,” accessed at www.fao.org/fishery/topic/16140/en, on July 1, 2016.
Seafood is an important protein source for about 3 billion people worldwide. Population growth, new ocean fishing technologies, and changes in ocean ecosystems have placed strains on wild fish stocks. Total ocean catches peaked in the late 1990s and the World Wildlife Fund estimates that the oceans contain half the number of fish they did in 1970. Declining catches also reflect national and global efforts to enforce sustainable catch limits. Strong growth in aquaculture has allowed per capita fish consumption to rise steadily, to a global average of 19 kilograms per person in 2012 from about 10 kilograms in the 1960s. In 2012, aquaculture was the source for about half (49 percent) of fish consumed by humans, up from 5 percent in 1962.
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