OpenAQ publishes the only global assessment of whether and how national governments are producing and sharing air quality data with the public. By identifying gaps in monitoring and data sharing, this assessment points to strategic locations for launching new air quality monitoring and data-sharing efforts. Furthermore, by outlining the value of open data and best practices for data sharing, this assessment helps governments and other data providers move toward greater data transparency.

Our most recent biennial assessment (2024) found that:

36% of countries, representing a cumulative population of nearly one billion people, are not currently monitoring air quality. Most of these countries are low-income or lower-income countries.
In the most populated countries without a national government air quality monitoring program, air pollution is one of the top 7 risk factors for death and disability.
Barely over one-quarter of countries provide full and easy public access to maximally useful air quality data, impeding clean air progress.

Since our last assessment in 2022, there has been a small increase in the number of countries that have begun to monitor or that are publishing data in a more transparent manner. Because many countries are constrained by lack of resources, the report calls upon funders to support less-resourced governments that are keen to monitor air quality and share data.