Therefore, they are considered the most polluted countries in Europe, euronews.com writes with reference to the World Air Quality Report 2025.
PM2.5 is an indicator of the presence in the air of suspended particulate matter (dust, etc.) smaller than 2.5 microns (0.0025 mm). This includes street dust, combustion products (such as soot from old diesel cars), cigarette smoke particles, and other problems.
The report analyzed 2,303 cities – 163 more than in 2024 – in 43 European countries. In 1,182 of them, the annual average PM2.5 concentration increased, while 886 cities recorded a decrease. Only 104 European cities met the World Health Organization’s safe limit values for fine particle pollution.
The report says that only three European countries met these air pollution recommendations in 2025, namely Estonia, Iceland and Andorra.
