World Asthma Day 2027 is on Tuesday

About World Asthma Day

Asthma inflames and narrows the airways, causing coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and chest tightness that can come and go or flare into an attack. WHO estimates that it affected about 363 million people in 2023 and caused around 442,000 deaths, most of them in low- and lower-middle-income countries where the disease is often missed or under-treated. Inhaled medicines can control symptoms and let most people with asthma live normal, active lives, and avoiding personal triggers such as smoke, dust, pollen and fumes helps too.

The Global Initiative for Asthma, known as GINA, organizes the day. GINA was founded in 1993 and works in collaboration with WHO, publishing widely used guidance for health professionals. It says the first World Asthma Day, in 1998, was marked in more than 35 countries alongside the first World Asthma Meeting in Barcelona, Spain. Since then, doctors, patient groups, schools and health agencies have used the day for education, screening events and public campaigns.

GINA picks a theme each year. For 2026 it chose "Access to anti-inflammatory inhalers for everyone with asthma – still an urgent need," a reminder that the medicines that prevent attacks, not just quick-relief inhalers, remain out of reach for many people.

Sources: Global Initiative for Asthma: World Asthma Day 2026, Global Initiative for Asthma: World Asthma Day, World Health Organization: Asthma fact sheet. How we check dates.

How to mark World Asthma Day

• If you have asthma, book a review with your doctor or nurse to check your medicines, inhaler technique and written action plan.
• Make sure family, coworkers or your child's school know what to do during an asthma attack.
• Notice your own triggers, such as smoke, pollen, dust or cold air, and plan ways to limit exposure.
• Keep your home and car smoke-free to protect people with asthma, especially children.
• If you have a cough, wheeze or breathlessness that keeps coming back, ask a health professional whether it could be asthma.

World Asthma Day dates