Which country in Europe has the most polluted air?

Bosnia and Herzegovina has the most polluted air in Europe: 26.1 µg/m³ (2023). Next come North Macedonia (21.8 µg/m³) and Bulgaria (19.7 µg/m³).

Which country in Europe has the cleanest air?

Finland, with 4.6 µg/m³ (2023).

What is the typical air pollution (pm2.5) of a country in Europe?

The median of the 42 countries in Europe is 11.5 µg/m³: half are above it, half below. The median, not the average, because a few countries at the top would drag an average far above almost everyone.

Where do the figures come from?

The average concentration of fine particles (PM2.5) in the air people breathe over a year, in micrograms per cubic metre. The WHO’s guideline is 5. Source: World Bank, 2023. Only independent states are ranked; territories are listed separately. A country’s continent follows Natural Earth; the handful of island states it files under the open ocean are placed by their UN subregion.

Countries in Europe by air pollution (pm2.5)

The average concentration of fine particles (PM2.5) in the air people breathe over a year, in micrograms per cubic metre. The WHO’s guideline is 5. 42 countries in Europe, highest first. World Bank, 2023

See it on the map

Map: Air pollution (PM2.5) — Europe — **7.6**1216202737No data

Highest

26.1

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Median country

11.5

half above, half below

Lowest

4.6

Finland

Countries in Europe by air pollution (pm2.5), World Bank, 2023
#	Country	µg/m³	Region
1	Bosnia and Herzegovina	26.1	Southern Europe
2	North Macedonia	21.8	Southern Europe
3	Bulgaria	19.7	Eastern Europe
4	Serbia	19.3	Southern Europe
5	Montenegro	18.5	Southern Europe
6	Poland	16.5	Eastern Europe
7	Romania	16.0	Eastern Europe
8	Croatia	15.8	Southern Europe
9	Albania	15.5	Southern Europe
=10	Moldova	14.9	Eastern Europe
=10	Ukraine	14.9	Eastern Europe
12	Italy	14.3	Southern Europe
13	Greece	14.1	Southern Europe
=14	Hungary	13.7	Eastern Europe
=14	Slovakia	13.7	Eastern Europe
16	Latvia	13.0	Northern Europe
=17	Czechia	12.7	Eastern Europe
=17	San Marino	12.7	Southern Europe
19	Slovenia	12.6	Southern Europe
20	Belarus	12.0	Eastern Europe
21	Russia	11.6	Eastern Europe
22	Monaco	11.4	Western Europe
23	Malta	10.8	Southern Europe
24	Lithuania	10.7	Northern Europe
25	Spain	10.1	Southern Europe
26	Austria	10.0	Western Europe
27	United Kingdom	9.5	Northern Europe
28	Andorra	8.9	Southern Europe
=29	Germany	8.8	Western Europe
=29	Portugal	8.8	Southern Europe
31	Netherlands	8.6	Western Europe
32	Belgium	8.4	Western Europe
33	Switzerland	8.3	Western Europe
34	France	8.2	Western Europe
=35	Denmark	7.5	Northern Europe
=35	Ireland	7.5	Northern Europe
37	Luxembourg	7.4	Western Europe
38	Estonia	5.9	Northern Europe
39	Norway	5.5	Northern Europe
40	Sweden	5.3	Northern Europe
41	Iceland	4.9	Northern Europe
42	Finland	4.6	Northern Europe

No World Bank figure for 2 countries: Liechtenstein, Vatican City.

Questions

Which country in Europe has the most polluted air?: Bosnia and Herzegovina has the most polluted air in Europe: 26.1 µg/m³ (2023). Next come North Macedonia (21.8 µg/m³) and Bulgaria (19.7 µg/m³).
Which country in Europe has the cleanest air?: Finland, with 4.6 µg/m³ (2023).
What is the typical air pollution (pm2.5) of a country in Europe?: The median of the 42 countries in Europe is 11.5 µg/m³: half are above it, half below. The median, not the average, because a few countries at the top would drag an average far above almost everyone.
Where do the figures come from?: The average concentration of fine particles (PM2.5) in the air people breathe over a year, in micrograms per cubic metre. The WHO’s guideline is 5. Source: World Bank, 2023. Only independent states are ranked; territories are listed separately. A country’s continent follows Natural Earth; the handful of island states it files under the open ocean are placed by their UN subregion.

Source: World Bank (CC BY 4.0). Figures more than 5 years older than the newest are left out rather than shown beside current ones. Countries sharing a value share a rank. All sources.