Residents of Uppsala and Umeå in Sweden and Faro in Portugal enjoy some of the cleanest urban air in Europe, according to the latest edition of the European City Air Quality Viewer from the European Environment Agency (EEA) released today. Three in four Europeans live in cities, most of whom are exposed to dangerous levels of air pollution. Improving air quality to levels recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) could significantly reduce premature deaths caused by air pollution.
The EEA's European City Air Quality Viewer ranks 375 cities from cleanest to most polluted based on average levels. Particulate matter (afternoon2.5The data was collected from more than 500 monitoring stations in urban areas across EEA Member States over the past two calendar years (2022 and 2023).
The viewers, 13 European cities The average particulate concentration was 5 micrograms per cubic meter (5 μg/m), the World Health Organization (WHO) health-based guideline level.3These cities include the four northern capitals: Reykjavik, Tallinn, Stockholm and Helsinki.
of European Green Deal's Zero Pollution Action Plan sets out the goal of reducing premature deaths from fine particulate matter by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 2005, with the longer-term goal of eliminating serious health damage by 2050. Earlier this year, EU institutions reached agreement on a proposal to update the Air Quality Directive, with the aim of bringing EU air quality standards closer to WHO guideline levels and supporting the achievement of the Zero Pollution Action Plan's objectives.
European city air quality viewer, typical Air quality in European cities over the past two yearsViewers focus on long-term PM concentrations2.5As it is the most health-damaging of all air pollutants, the EEA will publish an analysis of the impact of air pollution on ecosystems and human health, including estimates of the number of deaths and ill health caused by air pollution.