Third annual World Oxygen Day on October 2nd highlights the global importance of supplemental oxygen therapy.
The third annual World Oxygen Day on Thursday, October 2, 2025 brings together 20 global patient advocacy organizations and professional societies to recognize and raise awareness of the importance of oxygen and oxygen therapy.
Hypoxemia, or low oxygen levels, affects millions of people globally who live with a variety of respiratory and cardiac conditions, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). More than nine million people around the world live with chronic hypoxemia. Millions more need short-term supplemental oxygen to survive acute conditions, such as pneumonia or traumatic injuries. People of any age can experience hypoxemia from various diseases and other causes.
Symptoms of hypoxemia can include shortness of breath, fatigue, and confusion. Hypoxemia is most often detected with a pulse oximeter, which uses light pulses to measure how much oxygen is attached to hemoglobin molecules in the bloodstream. It is treated with supplemental oxygen therapy.
Supplemental oxygen is included on the World Health Organization’s Essential Medicine List; however, people with hypoxemia often have difficulty accessing supplemental oxygen therapy equipment. Many people can’t leave their home because available equipment either cannot keep up with their supplemental oxygen needs or is too bulky and cumbersome to transport. In addition, equipment suppliers (especially in the U.S.) have faced significant financial challenges, restricting their ability to provide appropriate training to supplemental oxygen users and caregivers.
World Oxygen Day raises awareness of the importance of supplemental oxygen, reduces the stigma of supplemental oxygen therapy use, and highlights the barriers people face in accessing the oxygen therapy they need.
Led by the COPD Foundation, a variety of activities and awareness efforts are planned for World Oxygen Day, including an online innovation webinar, multiple global advocacy webinars, new podcast episodes, and personal messages of hope and support from the oxygen community.
In the United States, a key focus is lobbying for the Supplemental Oxygen Access Reform (SOAR) Act, bipartisan legislation designed to make supplying oxygen equipment more patient-centric and business friendly.
“Oxygen is essential to everyone, and some people simply need more. However, our global health systems do not always ensure it’s as accessible as it should be,” said Mike Hess, MPH, RRT, RPFT, Senior Director of Advocacy and Regulatory Affairs for the COPD Foundation. “Everybody needs oxygen. Some bodies just need a little extra. The World Oxygen Day campaign helps raise awareness of these issues to make impactful changes and allow people access to the oxygen they need.”
