Southeast Europe Air Quality Alert

Is the air quality good in Southeast Europe?

On December 22, 2025, air quality in parts of Southeast Europe remains poor, with several cities recording "moderate" to "unhealthy" AQI ranges and elevated PM2.5 concentrations. These conditions pose health risks, particularly for children, the elderly, and people with respiratory or cardiovascular conditions.

Cities including Düzce and Strumica are currently reporting AQI levels above 150, prompting health advisories. Residents are urged to limit outdoor activity, keep windows closed, wear masks when outside, and use air purifiers indoors.

Long-term data underscores the persistence of the problem. According to the 2024 IQAir World Air Quality Report, Sarajevo recorded an average AQI of 81 with PM2.5 concentrations of 25 µg/m³, ranking 29th out of 138 countries. North Macedonia averaged an AQI of 77, Serbia 72, and Montenegro 68, all four to five times higher than the WHO annual PM2.5 guideline, highlighting Southeast Europe’s ongoing winter air quality challenge.

Air quality map of Southeast Europe on the morning of December 22, 2025. Source: IQAir.

Which cities are affected by bad air quality in Southeast Europe?

Several cities in Southeast Europe experience persistent poor air quality throughout the winter due to residential heating emissions, geography, and stagnant weather conditions (1). These cities consistently rank among the most affected each cold season and include:

• Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Skopje, North Macedonia
• Belgrade, Serbia
• Pristina, Kosovo
• Pljevlja, Montenegro
• Sofia, Bulgaria

As of December 22, 2025, several cities across Southeast Europe are reporting poor air quality, with conditions fluctuating daily due to weather and emissions. For real-time updates, see Europe’s air quality map.

When will the air quality improve in Southeast Europe?

Short-term enhancements rely on weather changes, where winds and rain can reduce pollutant levels in days, but stagnant conditions and winter inversions often confine emissions, extending poor quality through the cold season. Sustainable progress demands effective policies and controls, without which severe pollution will likely continue recurring in winters (2).

What is causing poor air quality in Southeast Europe?

Poor air quality in Southeast Europe stems primarily from fossil fuel combustion in power plants and residential heating using coal and wood, industrial emissions, vehicle exhaust from aging fleets, agricultural ammonia, wildfires, and Saharan dust intrusions. These factors elevate PM2.5, NO₂, and ozone levels, worsened by winter inversions and summer heatwaves promoting photochemical reactions (3).

A 2025 State of Global Air report highlights fossil fuels as a key driver, contributing to high PM2.5 exposures in countries like Bosnia and North Macedonia. EEA's 2025 analysis notes persistent challenges from solid fuel burning and transport in the Western Balkans (4). Copernicus reports 2025 wildfires in Greece and Turkey intensified pollutants (5).

How can I protect myself from poor air quality?

• Get a free air quality app for real-time air quality alerts and forecasts.
• Shut doors and windows and set the HVAC to recirculate mode.
• Contribute to your community’s outdoor air quality data.
• Stay indoors when air quality is poor; if you do need to go outdoors, wear a KN95/FFP2 mask.
• Run a high-performance air purifier to filter particles, gases, and other pollutants.