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Abstract Ambient fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) is the world’s leading environmental health risk factor. Quantification is needed of regional contributions to changes in global PM_2.5exposure. Here we interpret satellite-derived PM_2.5estimates over 1998-2019 and find a reversal of previous growth in global PM_2.5air pollution, which is quantitatively attributed to contributions from 13 regions. Global population-weighted (PW) PM_2.5exposure, related to both pollution levels and population size, increased from 1998 (28.3 μg/m³) to a peak in 2011 (38.9 μg/m³) and decreased steadily afterwards (34.7 μg/m³in 2019). Post-2011 change was related to exposure reduction in China and slowed exposure growth in other regions (especially South Asia, the Middle East and Africa). The post-2011 exposure reduction contributes to stagnation of growth in global PM_2.5-attributable mortality and increasing health benefits per µg/m³marginal reduction in exposure, implying increasing urgency and benefits of PM_2.5mitigation with aging population and cleaner air. 

Abstract Despite improvements in ambient air quality in the US in recent decades, many people still experience unhealthy levels of pollution. At present, national‐level alert‐day identification relies predominately on surface monitor networks and forecasters. Satellite‐based estimates of surface air quality have rapidly advanced and have the capability to inform exposure‐reducing actions to protect public health. At present, we lack a robust framework to quantify public health benefits of these advances in applications of satellite‐based atmospheric composition data. Here, we assess possible health benefits of using geostationary satellite data, over polar orbiting satellite data, for identifying particulate air quality alert days (24hr PM_2.5 > 35 μg m⁻³) in 2020. We find the more extensive spatiotemporal coverage of geostationary satellite data leads to a 60% increase in identification of person‐alerts (alert days × population) in 2020 over polar‐orbiting satellite data. We apply pre‐existing estimates of PM_2.5exposure reduction by individual behavior modification and find these additional person‐alerts may lead to 1,200 (800–1,500) or 54% more averted PM_2.5‐attributable premature deaths per year, if geostationary, instead of polar orbiting, satellite data alone are used to identify alert days. These health benefits have an associated economic value of 13 (8.8–17) billion dollars ($2019) per year. Our results highlight one of many potential applications of atmospheric composition data from geostationary satellites for improving public health. Identifying these applications has important implications for guiding use of current satellite data and planning future geostationary satellite missions.