Child deaths from dirty air hit 56,725 in Pakistan in 2023
Speakers in Islamabad urged stronger monitoring and funding after UNICEF flagged heavy child mortality and near-universal exposure above national PM2.5 limits.
Speakers put yearly air-pollution deaths in Pakistan above 200,000 and economic losses as high as 6.5% of GDP.
UNICEF tied 56,725 under-five deaths in 2023 to dirty air and said the whole country exceeds the 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 national limit.
World Bank aims for a 35% pollution cut by 2035; Punjab’s $300m clean-air programme is under way.
Pakistan EPA outlined 90 actions across eight sectors and is seeking a Clean Air Secretariat plus new grant funding.
Punjab plans vehicle buy-backs, subsidised super seeders and 600 electric buses.