
Austria has recorded some of the lowest air pollution levels in the past two decades this year, according to the Federal Environment Agency (UBA).
Preliminary figures for 2024 show notable improvements in levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3).
The better air quality is partly due to a milder winter, which meant less heating was needed and pollutants spread more easily.
NO2, which is mostly emitted by diesel vehicles, continued its steady decline in 2024. Stricter emissions standards and the growing use of electric vehicles have been key factors. For the first time, no monitoring station exceeded Austria’s annual NO2 limit of 30 µg/m³ under the Air Pollution Control Act. The EU limit of 40 µg/m³ was also met across the country.
Fine Particulate Matter: A Mixed Picture
Fine particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) comes from a range of sources, including domestic heating, traffic, agriculture – and even desert dust. Graz recorded the highest levels, with daily averages exceeding 50 µg/m³ on 18 days.
However, no station breached the IG-L annual limit, which allows no more than 25 daily breaches. Likewise, the EU directive, permitting up to 35 daily breaches, was met nationwide. Average PM10 and PM2.5 levels remained well below the 40 µg/m³ threshold and significantly lower than pre-2018 levels in most regions.
Ozone Levels
Ozone pollution in 2024 was similar to levels recorded since 2020 and lower than in earlier years. The ozone information threshold was breached on two days at six monitoring stations in northeastern Austria.
By comparison, 2023 saw breaches on six days at 11 stations, while 2022 recorded six days at 10 stations.
Despite the improvement, 14 monitoring stations exceeded the health protection target for ozone, averaged over the 2022–2024 period. This highlights ongoing concerns about ozone pollution, even as overall trends improve.
Sulphur Dioxide and Industrial Incidents
Exceedances of sulphur dioxide (SO2) limits, caused by cross-border pollution and industrial incidents, were reported at four monitoring stations in 2024, up from two in 2023. These breaches were linked to short-term spikes in emissions.
Stricter EU Rules on the Horizon
Despite the progress, Austria still falls short of meeting World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for air pollutants. A new EU Air Quality Directive, which came into force in December 2024, introduces stricter limits and targets to be met by 2030.