WHO: Excessive air pollution affects 92% of people

GENEVA—The World Health Organization says more than nine out of 10 people worldwide live in areas with excessive air pollution, contributing to problems, like strokes, heart disease and lung cancer.

The United Nations health agency said in a new report that 92 percent of people live in areas where air quality exceeds WHO limits, with southeast Asia, eastern Mediterranean and western Pacific regions hardest hit.

The country-by-country figures come from new satellite data as well as traditional ground measurements of pollution, mostly in cities, in about 3,000 places worldwide.

WHO says one in nine deaths worldwide is linked to indoor and outdoor pollution.

The report released Tuesday focuses on outdoor air pollution, which is estimated to kill about three million people per year based on 2012 figures, the most recent available.