In Europe, the poorest regions suffer the most from the health effects of air pollution, according to a new study.
Researchers found that regions with higher poverty levels and lower adoption of renewable energy face the greatest risk of mortality linked to air pollution. The study, published in Nature, analyzed more than 88 million deaths across 31 European countries from 2003 to 2019, revealing that socioeconomic factors strongly influence the health consequences of pollution.
“It is not just that poorer regions are more polluted,” said Zhaoyue Chen, first author of the study at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal). He noted that wealthier areas generally have better-equipped healthcare systems, stronger public health programmes, greater social awareness of pollution risks, and a higher capacity to implement environmental policies. “Quantifying the mortality risks attributable to air pollution in each region can help identify the most vulnerable populations more accurately,” Chen added.
The analysis showed that even when regions experience similar levels of air pollution, health outcomes can differ significantly due to socioeconomic and demographic conditions. Northern and Western European regions with higher GDP per capita, lower poverty rates, and higher life expectancy recorded lower mortality risks. In contrast, many areas in Southern and Eastern Europe faced risks that were sometimes double those of wealthier regions.
“Western European countries generally invested more in clean energy, green infrastructure, and stricter emission controls,” said Joan Ballester Claramunt, senior author of the study. He noted that Eastern European countries have relied more on external funding and remain in the early stages of integrating renewable energy and pollution-control measures.
The study also highlighted a widening gap over time. Between 2003 and 2019, wealthier regions saw substantial reductions in risks associated with pollutants such as fine and coarse particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). By contrast, low-income regions recorded only minor improvements, with some areas seeing increases in pollution-related mortality.
Researchers found that areas dependent on fossil fuels are exposed to a broader mix of harmful substances, including ultrafine particles and heavy metals, which pose greater health risks. In contrast, regions with advanced renewable energy adoption showed reduced exposure and better overall physiological resilience, mitigating damage to the lungs and cardiovascular system.
The study linked increased renewable energy use in the 21st century to declines in pollution levels: fine particulate matter fell by 15 percent, coarse particulate matter by 54 percent, and NO2 by 20 percent. Exposure to air pollution is a known risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease and chronic conditions such as hypertension, stroke, and depression.
The European Environment Agency estimated in December 2023 that unsafe levels of air pollution contributed to 182,000 deaths in Europe, underscoring the urgent need for targeted environmental and public health policies in the continent’s most vulnerable regions.
