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 | 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 |
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.