The European Union has outlined the progress it is making towards the goals of Sustainable Development Goal ‘Sustainable cities and communities’ (SDG 11), which aims to enrich the quality of life in cities and communities.
One of the pillars of SDG 11 is reducing the number of premature deaths due to exposure to air pollution (specifically, to fine particulate matter).
In 2021, the EU reported 253,305 premature deaths as a result of air pollution, which was a decrease of 10.2% compared to 2016, and 41% compared to 2005.
Recycling rate
Elsewhere, progress has also been made in terms of recycling municipal waste, another pillar of SDG 11.
The recycling rate of municipal waste reached 48.6% in the EU in 2022, an increase of 2.3 percentage points compared with 2017 (46.3%).
Improving quality of life
Other pillars of SDG 11 include improving the quality of life of inhabitants, particularly with regard to households affected by noise and road traffic deaths.
On the former, no progress has been made, the EU reported, with 18.2% of people in the EU reporting suffering from noise in their households in 2023, the same percentage as in 2018.
On the other hand, regarding road traffic safety, significant progress has been made. In 2022, the EU recorded 20,653 road traffic deaths, marking an 11.7% decrease compared to 2017, when 23,392 fatalities occurred, and an even more dramatic 61% decline from the 53,410 deaths in 2000.
Half of the fatalities in Europe in 2022 (10,392) occurred on rural roads. When compared to 2000, road traffic deaths on rural roads dropped by 63% (a reduction of 17,564 deaths), while urban roads saw a 56% decrease (down by 9,419 deaths), and motorways experienced a 47% reduction (a decrease of 1,622 deaths).
An interactive tool enabling users to assess how sustainability progress on SDG 11 is going in their country is available on the Eurostat website.
