According to its figures, 16,355 deaths in 2012 were attributable to ambient pollution.
The WHO says this breaks down as more than 7,300 from ischaemic heart disease, almost 5,000 from lung disease and 3,700 from strokes.
In addition, pollution is said to have been responsible for more than 400 deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and 12 from acute lower respiratory disease.
The data was judged on emissions from a complex mixture of pollutants, including fine particulate matter – most of which comes from fuel combustion from vehicles, power plants, industry, households or biomass burning.
Globally, the WHO says three million deaths a year are caused by air pollution and has produced an interactive map showing the worse areas.
Dr Flavia Bustreo, assistant director general at the WHO, said: “Air pollution continues to take a toll on the health of the most vulnerable populations – women, children and the older adults.
“For people to be healthy, they must breathe clean air from their first breath to their last.”
British Lung Foundation chief executive Dr Penny Woods said “urgent action” was needed to save lives, including new laws and “clean air zones” in badly polluted areas.
“These figures show a depressing picture of deaths due to air pollution exposure, impacting on general respiratory health,” she said.
“The fact that so many deaths a year are recorded in the EU shows we need urgent action to improve pollution levels.”
Mark Watts of the C40 group of world cities, a network set up to address climate change, said “radical and rapid action” was needed – but that some cities were already taking important steps.
“C40 mayors around the world are taking actions like banning the most polluting vehicles from entering city centres and putting cleaner buses on the streets in order to cut emissions and protect the health of urban citizens,” said Mr Watts.
Skynews