Air pollution in Indonesia
Indonesia has one of the highest levels of air pollution in Southeast Asia. Residents are exposed to air pollution levels 3.8 times higher than the World Health Organization’s (WHO) air quality guidelines. Air pollution was attributed to nearly 10% of deaths in Indonesia in 2021, according to the State of Global Air, with outdoor particulate matter pollution being the leading risk factor for death.
Indonesia’s booming economic growth in recent decades has come at a significant environmental cost to the country’s air quality, which negatively impacts public health and the economy. The primary drivers of this pollution – increased industrial activities fuelled in part by the country’s reliance on coal, transport, deforestation, unsustainable land use practices, and land fires often linked to agricultural expansion – are intertwined with Indonesia’s economic activities. Consequently, the country is the seventh largest emitter of greenhouse gases. Indonesia’s pollution also contributes significantly to the transboundary haze affecting neighbouring countries and their economies.
Jakarta, the capital city, frequently ranks among the world’s most polluted cities. A 2023 study estimated that air pollution potentially caused more than 10,000 deaths annually and over 5,000 hospitalisations each year in Jakarta. The total economic burden attributable to dirty air estimated at US$2.9 billion, representing 2.2% of the capital’s gross regional domestic product.
Addressing these issues requires a stronger commitment to sustainable development, effective environmental regulations, and a shift towards cleaner technologies and practices.
Our work in Indonesia
We officially started programming in Indonesia in 2025. Our efforts will build on our existing work in Jakarta and other Southeast Asian cities to support the Government of Indonesia in achieving its clean air goals.
Jakarta is one of 14 cities in our Breathe Cities initiative, a partnership with C40 Cities and Bloomberg Philanthropies. The city will benefit from technical support, community engagement and capacity building from the global clean air programme.
With our support, Vital Strategies partnered with the Jakarta Environment Agency and the Provincial Government of DKI Jakarta to highlight lessons from how the city leveraged local health and economic data to prioritise clean air initiatives.
A locally-led and sustainable approach will help us to accelerate change in Indonesia and South East Asia region bearing the brunt of the climate crisis.
Photo: Domestic tourists from Central Java taking pictures of the National Monument (Monas) that are seen shrouded in smog in Jakarta, Indonesia on November 9, 2023. Credit: Aji Styawan/Climate Visuals