Air Quality in Europe 2023
About this book
The European Environment Agency's Air Quality in Europe 2023 report provides the most comprehensive annual assessment of ambient air quality across Europe, drawing on data from over 2,500 monitoring stations in 40 countries operating under the European Air Quality Index and national monitoring networks. Published under the title EEA Report No. 05/2023, this edition covers the year 2021 monitoring data and updates the long-term trend analysis across key pollutants: fine particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), ozone (O₃), benzo(a)pyrene, and sulphur dioxide (SO₂). The report opens with headline findings of disturbing significance: in 2021, approximately 96% of Europe's urban population was exposed to PM2.5 concentrations above the revised WHO Air Quality Guideline value of 5 μg/m³ (introduced in 2021), even though most cities complied with the less stringent EU Ambient Air Quality Directive limits of 25 μg/m³.
This divergence between WHO guidelines and legal standards is a central tension in the report, with the EEA calling for EU legislation to be aligned with WHO recommendations through the ongoing revision of the Ambient Air Quality Directive. Premature mortality attributable to air pollution remains Europe's single largest environmental health burden. The 2023 report estimates that approximately 253,000 premature deaths annually in the EU-27 are attributable to PM2.5 exposure above the WHO guideline, 52,000 to long-term NO₂ exposure, and 22,000 to short-term ozone peaks.
The social and geographical inequality of this burden is highlighted: lower-income communities and central and eastern European countries bear disproportionate exposure, partly due to coal burning for residential heating. The main sources of PM2.5 in Europe are identified and quantified: residential biomass burning and coal combustion (about 40% of primary PM2.5 emissions), agriculture (ammonia-driven secondary aerosol formation), road transport (direct exhaust and non-exhaust tyre/brake wear), and industry. The declining contribution of direct combustion exhaust contrasts with the growing relative importance of non-exhaust transport emissions, which are not reduced by electrification.
The report examines trends since 2000 and finds significant improvements: SO₂ has fallen by over 90%, PM2.5 by around 28%, and NO₂ by around 43%, driven by tighter emission standards for vehicles and industry, the decline of coal-fired power generation, and catalytic converter requirements. However, ozone — a secondary pollutant formed by photochemical reactions of NOₓ and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) — shows much smaller improvement and may worsen under future climate warming scenarios. National and city-level case studies examine the effectiveness of Low Emission Zones (LEZs), vehicle scrapping schemes, wood-burning stove regulations, and agricultural ammonia reduction programmes.
The report concludes with a forward-looking assessment of the 2030 Zero Pollution Action Plan targets: an 55% reduction in premature deaths from PM2.5 and achievement of WHO guideline compliance in more than 75% of EU monitoring stations.