Air Pollution and Inequalities in London: 2019

This report analyses of the relationship between exposure to air pollution, deprivation and ethnicity in London in 2019. It shows communities which have higher levels of deprivation, or a higher proportion of people from a non-white ethnic background, are still more likely to be exposed to higher levels of air pollution. However, thanks to the Mayor’s policies the gap between the most and least deprived areas for exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) has narrowed by up to 50 per cent.

The report builds on previous analysis undertaken on behalf of the Greater London Authority: Air Pollution Exposure in London: Impact of the Environment Strategy (2019), Updated Analysis of Air Pollution Exposure in London (2017) and Analysing Air Pollution Exposure in London (2013). These reports all focused on air quality at that time in London, seeking to identify whether air pollution had a role in health and social inequality and the degree to which it could be quantified (using data available at that time).