Abiotic and biotic releases of nitrous acid (HONO) from soils contribute substantially to the missing source of tropospheric HONO and hydroxyl radicals (OH). However, global and regional patterns of soil HONO emissions are rarely quantified, and the contributions of such emissions to atmospheric oxidization capacity are unclear. Here, we present that the best estimate of global soil HONO emissions in 2017 is 9.67 with a range of 7.36-11.99 Tg N yr⁻¹, where cropland soils accounted for ~ 79%. The analyses also indicate that regional soil HONO emissions enhanced ground OH concentrations by 10-60% and ozone concentrations by 0.5-1.5 ppb at daytime in the ambient area of Shanghai, China. The impact of soil HONO emissions on OH budgets were more important in rural than urban areas. These findings suggest that the global soil HONO emissions, especially from cropland, could quicken photochemical reactions and aggravate air pollution in rural areas.