Polish city ranks second in the EU for most polluted air, with two others in the top 10
Nowy Sącz has the second-highest air pollution in the EU, with two other Polish cities also ranking among the ten worst in the latest urban air quality report by the European Environmental Agency (EEA). Poland also records the highest annual deaths linked to air pollution in the EU, according to the EEA.
Despite these figures, air quality in Poland has improved compared to three years ago, with pollution levels decreasing in several cities.
The ranking, which covers 372 EU cities in 2022-2023, measures fine particulate matter (PM2.5), the pollutant most harmful to health, causing premature death and disease.
Slavonski Brod in Croatia topped the list as the most polluted city (26.5 µg/m3), earning a "very poor" air quality rating from the EEA. Nowy Sącz follows with 24.0 µg/m3, while Częstochowa (21.9 µg/m3) and Żory (21.8 µg/m3) are ranked ninth and tenth. All three Polish cities are in the country's south, where coal heating during winter exacerbates pollution.
The remaining cities in the top ten include five from Italy (Cremona, 23.3 µg/m3; Vicenza, 23.0 µg/m3; Padua, 22.7 µg/m3; Venice, 22.6 µg/m3; and Piacenza, 22.2 µg/m3) and one from Greece (Ioannina, 21.9 µg/m3).