Millions of displaced people are housed in shelters that generally consist of a single room, meaning that activities including cooking, sleeping and socializing all take place in the same space. Therefore, indoor air quality can be poor, resulting in estimated 20,000 displaced people dying prematurely every year. Very few studies considered the issue and all within one country. This paper describes the first comprehensive study investigating air quality in shelters by looking at Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), Particulate Matter (PM), and CO2 in ten locations within Peru, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Jordan, Turkey and Bangladesh. It has the aim of: (i) discovering how widespread the issue is, (ii) identifying some of the causes, (iii) whether it is linked to cultural and behavioural factors, (iv) location and climate, or (v) shelters’ materials or design. Results revealed very harmful level...