The levels of pollution remain a significant problem in Europe. This is shown by the latest air quality assessments from the European Environment Agency (EEA).
Latest data collected and analysed for 2024 and 2025 show that EU air quality standards were mostly met in most regions across Europe for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). However, in up to 20% of monitoring stations, air pollution is still above current EU air quality standards, especially for smaller particulate matter with a diameter of 10 microns (µm) or less (PM10), ground level ozone (O3) and benzo(a)pyrene (BaP).
“In Europe, we can see a positive development in air quality for almost all air pollutants over the past 20 years, with the exception of ground-level ozone. At the same time, so-called burden-of-disease studies show that air pollution accounts for an increasing share of the overall risk of disease and premature death,” says Alena Bartonova. She is a senior researcher at NILU and heads the European Topic Centre on Environment and Health (ETC HE).
work on annual datasets under the Air Quality Directive. NILU supports the EEA and the member states in maintaining reporting systems and submitting national air quality data.
New air quality standards
was published on 30 April. It presents the latest official reported data on levels of key air pollutants in Europe. The report compares these concentrations against current and 2030 EU air quality standards and the World Health Organisation (WHO) health-based air quality guideline levels.
The new air quality standards applicable from 2030 will require Member States to maintain and increase measures to address air pollution. Across the majority of Europe air pollution levels also remain above the stricter WHO guideline levels set to protect human health.
More than 9 out of 10 Europeans are exposed to air pollution levels above the WHO guidelines on particulate matter (PM2.5) and ground-level ozone (O3). This is especially true in cities.
” The EEA reports help to make local measures more accurate and relevant to health, and give researchers an opportunity to explore air quality locally with a European backdrop,” says Bartonova
Risk to health and finances
Air pollution remains Europe’s biggest environmental health risk. It reduces quality of life, causes diseases and leads to preventable deaths.
Further reductions are necessary to meet current EU standards. This applies in particular to the new and stricter EU standards set for 2030 under the EU’s revised Ambient Air Quality Directive.
Reducing air pollution reduces impacts on health and associated economic costs such as healthcare, reduced productivity and absenteeism caused by pollution-related illnesses.
Action on ground-level ozone needed
Ozone is of particular concern, according to a separate EEA briefing NILU has contributed to: “Addressing ozone pollution at ground level in Europe”. It says that ground-level ozone levels have not decreased significantly, despite overall reductions in emissions of key ozone precursors pollutants.
Ozone is not formed by being emitted directly but is formed in the lower atmosphere when sunlight triggers photochemical reactions between ozone-forming pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides (NOₓ) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). As a result, reducing ozone levels is more challenging than reducing other major air pollutants.
The briefing warns that climate change is expected to worsen ozone pollution in Europe because of increased frequency and intensity of heat-related meteorological conditions that enhance ozone formation.
63,000 deaths
Ground-level ozone is a strong oxidant that can harm both human health and the environment. shows that in the EU, 63,000 deaths are attributed to exposure to ground-level ozone. In addition, ground-level ozone caused billions of euros in damage due to crop loss. Ground-level ozone also plays an important role as a driver of climate change, as it is a greenhouse gas (GHG).
A better understanding of the role of the various key pollutants that form ground-level ozone will help identify the best way to reduce ozone levels.
To support more effective air quality planning, new analytical tools can help cities and countries better understand what drives ozone pollution. A new interactive dashboard integrated in allows users to explore sector-by-sector contributions to peak season ozone, based on data from 2024. In parallel EU-27 factsheets gives a clear picture of ozone levels, trends and future projections in each member state. The methodology is based on this report from NILU.
Background:
It is based on two previous reports from ETC HE: Status report of air quality in Europe for year 2024 and Status report of air quality in Europe for year 2025.
Later this year, the EEA will publish data on how air pollution affects human health. This includes estimates of premature deaths and ill health that can be attributed to poor air quality.
The EEA analysis covers 39 countries, including the 27 EU member states, the five other EEA member states (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey), six EEA cooperating countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo under the UNSCR 1244/99, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia), plus voluntary reporting from Andorra.