Source: EEA

Data published by the European Environment Agency (EEA) shows that the Swedish cities of Uppsala and Umeå, and Portugal’s Faro, have the cleanest city air in Europe. A further 10 cities were found to have fine particulate concentrations that fall below WHO guideline levels.

Three out of four Europeans live in urban areas, with many of them exposed to unsafe levels of air pollution. Improving air quality to levels recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), of below 5 micrograms per cubic meter of air (5 μg/m³), could significantly reduce premature deaths caused by air pollution.

The EEA’s European city air quality viewer ranks 375 cities from the cleanest to the most polluted based on average levels of fine particulate matter (PM_2.5), which is the air pollutant with the most significant negative health impacts. Data is collected from over 500 urban monitoring stations across European member countries, with that published coming from 2022 and 2023.

The data reveals that only 13 European cities had average fine particulate concentrations that were below the WHO guidelines, and include four northern capitals: Reykjavik, Tallinn, Stockholm and Helsinki.

The zero pollution action plan created by the European Green Deal sets a 2030 target of reducing premature deaths caused by fine particulate matter by at least 55%, and a more long-term goal of no significant health impacts by 2050. Earlier this year, agreement was reached on a proposal to update the ambient air quality directives with the aim to align the EU air quality standards closer to the WHO’s guideline levels and help deliver on the objectives of the zero pollution action plan. 

The EEA will publish an analysis later this year on the impacts of air pollution on ecosystems and human health. This will include estimates on deaths and ill health that can be attributed to poor air quality.