Air quality crosses borders and sits at the intersection of climate, health and development agendas. That gives international development funders a critical role in supporting action to improve air quality.  

Understanding where funding flows, what it supports and where gaps remain is key to helping stakeholders make the most of increasingly limited resources.  

About the report

The annual State of Global Air Quality Funding report works to provide this global overview. Published by the Clean Air Fund, with data and analysis from Climate Policy Initiative (CPI), it tracks international development funding relevant to air quality and examines how it is distributed across geographies, sectors, funders and financial instruments. 

The eighth edition analyses international development funding related to air quality through 2024, including: 

• Outdoor air quality funding, where improving air quality is an explicit project objective. 
• Air quality co-benefits, where projects primarily pursue other objectives while also reducing air pollution. 
• Fossil fuel-prolonging funding, providing context on the wider alignment of development finance with air quality goals. 
• Funding for super pollutants, including black carbon and, for the first time, tropospheric ozone and its precursor pollutants. 
• Funding across countries, regions, sectors, funders and financial instruments. 

The report presents the latest year-on-year data alongside five-year totals to provide a medium-term perspective on how international development finance is contributing to cleaner air. 

Year-on-year funding shows some progress  

The 2024 data shows some positive signals. Outdoor air quality funding increased by $1.7 billion between 2023 and 2024, almost returning to its 2022 peak. Yet it still represents less than 1% of international development funding.  

Fossil fuel-prolonging funding almost halved, falling from $9 billion in 2023 to $4.7 billion in 2024 – bringing the ratio of air quality spend to fossil fuel-prolonging spend down to 1:1.  

At the same time, air quality projects without an explicit climate objective grew from $4.4 billion to $7.9 billion, suggesting greater intentionality by funders in addressing air quality as an independent policy objective. 

Long-term trajectory remains concerning  

Across the two most recent five-year periods, total air quality funding increased by 9%, from $113.8 billion in 2019-2023 to $124.6 billion in 2020-2024.  

However, this medium-term growth masks a recent reversal: total air quality funding fell to $28.7 billion in 2024, the first decrease in five years. Out of that, 84% ($24 billion) is made up of flows with air quality co-benefits rather than explicitly targeted funding. 

Funding is heavily concentrated 

Across 2020–2024:  

• 62% ($77 billion) of total air quality funding was driven by projects in the transport sector.  
• More than half of all outdoor air quality funding went to just three countries.  
• Three-quarters of outdoor air quality funding was provided by just four funders. 
• 89% ($110 billion) of total air quality funding was provided through loan.

Flows are misaligned with need 

Seven of the 10 most polluted countries each attracted less than 1% of total air quality funding in 2024.  

While there are signs of greater geographic diversification, regional figures continue to mask stark disparities between countries, with finance correlating with domestic capacity rather than need. 

Super pollutants remain a missed opportunity

Despite their significant air quality and near-term climate benefits, abating super pollutants is rarely an explicit objective of international development finance.  

Primary black carbon funding represented less than 1% of total air quality funding across 2020–2024. Less than $500,000 in primary tropospheric ozone funding was identified over the same period, with none tracked in 2024. 

Read the report