More than 8% of all deaths in Britain are now directly linked to pollution, experts have found.
The figure has risen from 40,000 to 50,000 in the UK, says research by 50 groups around the world.
The study, based on 2015 data, say it is a “call to arms” to invest in pollution prevention.
Professor Philip Landrigan, co-author of The Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health, said: “Pollution is much more than an environmental challenge, it is a profound and pervasive threat that affects many aspects of health and wellbeing.”
Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland all beat Britain’s 8.39% figure.
But pollution causes one in four of all deaths in India, Pakistan and China.
Most deaths were said to be from toxic smog causing heart disease , stroke, lung cancer and pulmonary disease.
Sooty particles from diesel cars have previously been found to be shorten lives.