Rankings · 28 countries · EEA AEI
European countries ranked by air quality
All EU-27 + UK ranked by annual mean PM2.5. The WHO 2021 guideline is 5 µg/m³; the current EU limit is 25 (falling to 10 by 2030). Poland is highest, Ireland lowest.
Data updated 2026-09-01
- 16
- highest (Poland)
- 1
- lowest (Ireland)
- 26/28
- above WHO guideline
- 16.0×
- continental spread
Download the EU-27 AEI extract cited on this page: eea-aei-statistics.csv (CC BY 4.0). Also on Statistics.
The ranking in one line
Poland is #1 of 28 countries at 16 µg/m³ PM2.5; Latvia sets the top-15 cutoff at 9.9 µg/m³: Ireland is lowest at 1 (16.0× continental spread).
- 26 of 28
- countries above the WHO PM2.5 guideline
- #15
- Latvia top-15 cutoff
- Poland
- highest (16 µg/m³)
- Ireland
- lowest (1 µg/m³)
The 15 highest-PM2.5 countries in Europe
Annual mean PM2.5 (µg/m³) - every bar exceeds the WHO 2021 guideline of 5
- Poland
Poland: 16 µg/m³ PM2.5
16 µg/m³ PM2.5
- Bulgaria
Bulgaria: 15.6 µg/m³ PM2.5
15.6 µg/m³ PM2.5
- Slovakia
Slovakia: 15.2 µg/m³ PM2.5
15.2 µg/m³ PM2.5
- Croatia
Croatia: 14.4 µg/m³ PM2.5
14.4 µg/m³ PM2.5
- Cyprus
Cyprus: 14.4 µg/m³ PM2.5
14.4 µg/m³ PM2.5
- Romania
Romania: 14 µg/m³ PM2.5
14 µg/m³ PM2.5
- Slovenia
Slovenia: 14 µg/m³ PM2.5
14 µg/m³ PM2.5
- Hungary
Hungary: 13.9 µg/m³ PM2.5
13.9 µg/m³ PM2.5
- Italy
Italy: 13.9 µg/m³ PM2.5
13.9 µg/m³ PM2.5
- Greece
Greece: 13.3 µg/m³ PM2.5
13.3 µg/m³ PM2.5
- Czech Republic
Czech Republic: 12.2 µg/m³ PM2.5
12.2 µg/m³ PM2.5
- Spain
Spain: 11.1 µg/m³ PM2.5
11.1 µg/m³ PM2.5
- Malta
Malta: 10.9 µg/m³ PM2.5
10.9 µg/m³ PM2.5
- Austria
Austria: 9.9 µg/m³ PM2.5
9.9 µg/m³ PM2.5
- Latvia
Latvia: 9.9 µg/m³ PM2.5
9.9 µg/m³ PM2.5
What this shows Central and eastern Europe dominate the top of the table, reflecting heavier coal-based residential heating, older diesel fleets, and trans-boundary dust. The cleanest air is in the Nordic and Baltic north.
Full table
| # | Country | Stations | PM2.5 | PM10 | NO2 | O3 | Deaths (PM2.5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Poland | 2 | 16.0 | 28.9 | 22.8 | 62.1 | 34,155 |
| 2 | Bulgaria | 1 | 15.6 | 32.5 | 21.6 | 62.4 | 8,297 |
| 3 | Slovakia | 1 | 15.2 | 24.2 | 19.6 | 62.4 | 3,623 |
| 4 | Croatia | 1 | 14.4 | 25.7 | 19.2 | 65.7 | 3,690 |
| 5 | Cyprus | 1 | 14.4 | 36.2 | 17.8 | 78.3 | 669 |
| 6 | Romania | 1 | 14.0 | 27.4 | 22.4 | 63.6 | 17,903 |
| 7 | Slovenia | 1 | 14.0 | 21.4 | 17.8 | 67.4 | 1,277 |
| 8 | Hungary | 1 | 13.9 | 25.4 | 22.6 | 64.7 | 8,503 |
| 9 | Italy | 3 | 13.9 | 27.2 | 23.8 | 73.4 | 51,000 |
| 10 | Greece | 1 | 13.3 | 28.4 | 22.1 | 76.5 | 10,409 |
| 11 | Czech Republic | 1 | 12.2 | 23.6 | 20.5 | 61.5 | 6,826 |
| 12 | Spain | 2 | 11.1 | 21.4 | 18.9 | 70.8 | 18,315 |
| 13 | Malta | 1 | 10.9 | 24.6 | 18.4 | 71.2 | 169 |
| 14 | Austria | 1 | 9.9 | 18.4 | 18.9 | 64.2 | 3,332 |
| 15 | Latvia | 1 | 9.9 | 18.7 | 13.6 | 56.4 | 804 |
| 16 | Belgium | 1 | 9.8 | 20.1 | 22.3 | 56.8 | 4,105 |
| 17 | United Kingdom | 3 | 9.8 editorial composite, not an EEA AEI value | 17.6 | 21.4 | 56.7 | - |
| 18 | Germany | 3 | 9.5 | 18.9 | 19.4 | 61.8 | 32,339 |
| 19 | France | 3 | 9.3 | 19.8 | 20.6 | 64.3 | 20,286 |
| 20 | Netherlands | 2 | 8.7 | 19.4 | 21.7 | 56.3 | 5,171 |
| 21 | Portugal | 1 | 7.5 | 19.8 | 18.6 | 62.7 | 3,659 |
| 22 | Lithuania | 1 | 7.3 | 17.9 | 14.2 | 58.3 | 1,435 |
| 23 | Denmark | 1 | 7.0 | 16.2 | 16.8 | 53.4 | 1,183 |
| 24 | Luxembourg | 1 | 6.7 | 16.8 | 19.8 | 60.7 | 74 |
| 25 | Finland | 1 | 5.3 | 12.4 | 13.5 | 56.7 | 70 |
| 26 | Sweden | 1 | 5.1 | 11.8 | 12.4 | 56.2 | 478 |
| 27 | Estonia | 1 | 4.6 | 13.1 | 11.2 | 58.9 | 89 |
| 28 | Ireland | 1 | 1.0 | 14.6 | 14.8 | 56.2 | 517 |
† United Kingdom is not in EEA Air Quality Status Report 2025 Table 3, so the PM2.5 shown is an editorial composite, not an EEA Average Exposure Indicator. It is ranked for reference beside the EEA-AEI countries.
Deaths column: PM2.5-attributable premature deaths per year (EEA Burden of Disease, 2022; modeled estimates, not counted deaths). The EEA does not publish a figure for the UK.
How to read this
A country can clear the EU legal limit and still be several times above the WHO health guideline, that gap is the story.
- See the cleanest-air country's full profile and station network. Ireland
- See the highest-PM2.5 country's full profile. Poland
- Read the EU-vs-WHO limits gap, explained. Pollutants & limits
Rankings use annual mean PM2.5 from the latest validated reporting year; concentrations vary year to year with weather and emissions.
Source: EEA Air Quality Status Report 2025, AEI Table 3 (country PM2.5, 2021-2023). Mortality: EEA Burden of Disease (2022). Other pollutant columns are editorial composites. Benchmarks: WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines, 2021. See our methodology.