One in eight (12.2%) European citizens report that pollution, grime or other environmental issues have affected their household, with said impacts varying by EU member state.
More than a third (34.7%) of Maltese residents reported that pollution and environmental issues affected their household, followed by those in Greece (20.5%), Germany (16.8%) and France (16.0%), according to the 2023 data.
At the other end of the scale, Croatian citizens reported the lowest level of impact from pollution and environmental issues (4.2%), followed by Sweden (5.0%), Slovakia (5.8%), Poland (7.1%) and Denmark (7.3%).
Urbanisation a factor
According to Eurostat, which published the figures, exposure to pollution, grime or other environmental issues depended on the level of urbanisation in different European countries – with 6.8% of those living in rural areas affected, compared to 10.5% in towns and suburbs and 17.2% in cities.
The overall figure of 12.2% affected households across the EU is down on the 15.1% reported in 2019, the last time this data was collected.
The findings were taken from the Labour Market and Housing Conditions module of the EU Survey on Income and Living Conditions. Read more here.
Percentage of EU households impacted by pollution and environmental issues, 2023 (%)
| Country | Value (%) |
|---|---|
| Malta | 34.7 |
| Greece | 20.5 |
| Germany | 16.8 |
| France | 16.0 |
| Latvia | 15.4 |
| Portugal | 15.3 |
| Slovenia | 14.9 |
| Netherlands | 14.7 |
| Hungary | 14.6 |
| Belgium | 13.3 |
| Romania | 11.7 |
| Lithuania | 10.9 |
| Spain | 10.7 |
| Cyprus | 10.7 |
| Bulgaria | 10.4 |
| Italy | 9.9 |
| Finland | 9.7 |
| Luxembourg | 9.5 |
| Estonia | 8.6 |
| Austria | 8.0 |
| Czechia | 7.9 |
| Ireland | 7.5 |
| Denmark | 7.3 |
| Poland | 7.1 |
| Slovakia | 5.8 |
| Sweden | 5.0 |
| Croatia | 4.2 |
Read more: Just 12 countries have air pollution levels below WHO guidelines
