How much clean air is left on our planet?

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Experts say that the dirtiest air on the planet is in the countries of South and East Asia. What about clean air?

We all know that air pollution is one of the most serious problems facing humanity today. But how bad is it really? A new study has answered that question.

According to a recent study published Monday in the Lancet Planetary Health, about 99.82 percent of the world's air is currently polluted with high levels of particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5).

These tiny particles are known to cause heart disease and lung cancer. It turns out that only 0.001 percent of the world's population breathes clean air.

The highest annual concentrations of harmful PM2.5 particles were in East Asia: 50 micrograms per cubic meter. This was followed by areas such as South Asia (37 micrograms) and North Africa (30 micrograms). Lower concentrations of these particles were in Australia, New Zealand, and other regions of South America and Oceania.