・Air quality across Europe is steadily improving, with most stations meeting current EU standards.
・However, urban areas still struggle to meet both current and future 2030 air quality targets.
・Harmful pollutants like PM2.5 and NO2 largely comply with EU limits but exceed WHO guidelines.
・Additional efforts are necessary to protect public health and reduce preventable diseases.
・The EEA’s 2025 Air Quality Report highlights progress and the challenges ahead to align with stricter EU and WHO standards.
Despite steady progress, cities must intensify efforts to meet the EU’s stricter 2030 air quality goals and protect public health.
Europe’s air quality continues to improve, but reaching future targets will require stronger action, according to the latest analysis from the European Environment Agency (EEA). While most air pollution monitoring stations now meet current EU standards for harmful pollutants such as fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), full compliance with the newly agreed 2030 standards remains out of reach—particularly in urban areas.
The 2025 EEA Air Quality Report presents official data from 2023 and 2024, comparing pollution levels to existing EU benchmarks, the upcoming 2030 limits, and WHO’s health-based guidelines. Although 99% of stations for PM2.5 and 98% for NO2 met the present EU limits, the stricter WHO thresholds remain unmet across much of Europe. Air pollution continues to be the region’s top environmental health threat, causing diseases, reduced quality of life, and preventable deaths.
Exposure to PM2.5, the pollutant most harmful to human health, has decreased among urban residents since 2011. Still, 94% of the EU’s urban population was exposed to PM2.5 levels above the WHO guideline in 2023, underlining the urgent need for intensified action.
Encouragingly, over 70% of monitoring stations already meet the 2030 target levels for NO2. However, for PM2.5, only a small share of sites currently comply with future standards. Based on the current pace, additional efforts—especially in cities—will be critical to achieving healthier air across Europe.
The EEA’s 2025 Air Quality Report is the first in a series under the “Europe’s Air Quality 2025” package, with further studies on emissions and health impacts due later this year.
Air quality steadily improving but EU standards still not fully met, latest EEA data analysis shows