State of air quality in Europe in 2023

  Air pollution is the biggest environmental health risk in Europe, causing cardiovascular and respiratory diseases that lead to loss of healthy life and, in the worst cases, preventable deaths. This briefing presents the status of ambient air pollutant concentrations in 2021 and 2022 for regulated pollutants in relation to both the EU air quality standards and the 2021 WHO guideline levels. The assessment shows that, despite continuous improvement, exceedances of air quality standards are common in throughout the EU, with concentrations significantly exceeding the latest WHO recommendations.