Governments could also improve air quality by enforcing pollution controls on power plants or giving incentives to stop farmers burning crop stubble near cities, he added.
The report urged governments and foundations to join up their efforts on cleaner air for broader reach and impact.
"If we can deliver (clean air), we will also unlock solutions to other critically pressing problems, like climate change and deadly diseases," said Maria Neira, director of the World Health Organization's public health and environment department.
"The benefits would reach the poorest and most vulnerable first," she added.
(Writer: Megan Rowling, Thomson Reuters Foundation | Editor: Laurie Goering)
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