European Air Quality · 28 countries · EEA validated 2024
Independent EU air-quality data, in plain numbers
PM2.5, NO2, ozone, and SO2 readings from 39 EEA stations across 28 countries, with the WHO 2021 guideline and the EU regulatory limit side by side.
Quick browse
- Countries
- 28
- Stations
- 39
- Pollutants
- 7
- EU avg PM2.5
- 12.5 μg/m³
2024 European air quality at a glance
Across the 28 European countries we track, the population-weighted PM2.5 annual mean for 2024 sits at 12.5 μg/m³ — more than twice the World Health Organization 2021 guideline of 5 μg/m³ but below the current EU Ambient Air Quality Directive limit of 10 μg/m³. NO2 averages 18.8 μg/m³, almost twice the WHO guideline. The European Environment Agency estimates roughly 370,000 premature deaths per year are attributable to PM2.5 exposure in the EU+UK region, with cardiovascular disease, stroke, and lung cancer driving the bulk of the burden.
The cleanest air in 2024 was recorded in Sweden, Finland, and Estonia — all three sit at PM2.5 annual means below 7 μg/m³. The dirtiest air was recorded in Bulgaria (19.8 μg/m³), Poland (18.4 μg/m³), and Romania (17.6 μg/m³) — reflecting heavier coal-based residential heating, older diesel vehicle fleets, and trans-boundary dust intrusion. Every country, station, and pollutant detail page links back to the underlying EEA source dataset; numbers update annually when EEA releases the new e-Reporting cycle.
28 Countries
EU-27 + United Kingdom, ranked by PM2.5, NO2, ozone, and WHO exceedance days.
39 Monitoring Stations
Real EEA-registered urban traffic and urban background stations across major European cities.
7 Pollutants
PM2.5, PM10, NO2, O3, SO2, CO, benzene — EU limits vs WHO 2021 guidelines.
Editorial & research
Methodology
How EEA observations, Copernicus reanalysis, and national agency data are combined.
Pollutants
Every regulated EU pollutant: PM2.5, PM10, NO2, O3, SO2, CO, benzene — limits, health impact, sources.
Countries
28 European countries ranked by PM2.5, NO2, ozone, and WHO exceedance days.
Research
Original analyses synthesizing EEA + WHO + Copernicus data.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What is PlainAirQuality?
PlainAirQuality is a free, independent data portal published by Kiznis Studio. We synthesize air-quality observations from the European Environment Agency (EEA), Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), and national agencies (UBA Germany, ADEME France, ISPRA Italy, GIOS Poland, Defra UK, etc.) for 28 European countries. Coverage includes PM2.5, PM10, NO2, ozone (O3), SO2, CO, and benzene. Every page cites the underlying source dataset and the regulatory benchmark (WHO 2021 guideline, EU Ambient Air Quality Directive limit value).
Where does the data come from?
Three primary sources. (1) The European Environment Agency Air Quality e-Reporting database (EEA AQ e-Reporting), which aggregates ~5,000 official monitoring stations across EEA member countries under Directive 2008/50/EC. (2) Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) reanalysis for satellite-derived background concentrations and exposure mapping. (3) National agency portals — UBA (Umweltbundesamt, Germany), ADEME (France), ISPRA (Italy), GIOS (Poland), Defra (UK), and others — for the highest-frequency station feeds. All data is published under European Open Data licenses (CC-BY 4.0 or equivalent).
What pollutants do you track?
The seven pollutants regulated by the 2008 EU Ambient Air Quality Directive plus the WHO 2021 update: Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5), Coarse Particulate Matter (PM10), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), Ground-level Ozone (O3), Sulfur Dioxide (SO2), Carbon Monoxide (CO), and Benzene (C6H6). For each pollutant page we publish the EU limit value, the stricter WHO 2021 guideline, primary emission sources, health impact summary, and the EN-standard reference measurement method.
How does the WHO 2021 guideline differ from the EU limit?
The WHO 2021 Global Air Quality Guidelines tightened recommended exposure limits significantly. The annual PM2.5 guideline dropped from 10 ug/m3 (2005) to 5 ug/m3 (2021). The annual NO2 guideline dropped from 40 ug/m3 to 10 ug/m3. The EU regulatory limits are still set at the older, looser values (PM2.5 = 10 ug/m3, NO2 = 40 ug/m3 annual mean). A revised EU directive adopted in 2024 will lower the PM2.5 limit to 10 ug/m3 by 2030 and align more closely with WHO. Until then, many European cities are "EU-legal" but still well above WHO health guidance. We show both benchmarks on every detail page.
Related portals — Kiznis Studio
PlainAirQuality is part of the Kiznis Studio of independent data portals covering specific public-data niches. Each is a primary source focused on a single domain.