All official European Union website addresses are in the europa.eu domain.
See all EU institutions and bodies
An official website of the European Union | How do you know?
Environmental information systems
Key messages: Air pollutant emissions from transport in the EU-27 have significantly decreased in recent decades thanks to a series of policies. Road transport, the most important contributor, has become cleaner with each consecutive Euro emission standard. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a temporary reduction in transport volumes and emissions in 2020. However, emissions rebounded in 2022 with increased transport activity.
Emissions of pollutants from transport in the EU-27
Loading chart...
Pollution from the transportation sector puts substantial stress on Europe’s environment, especially in terms of air quality. Significant policy efforts have addressed transport-related air pollution in recent decades and have led to some notable improvements.
Different policies have delivered progress in reducing the emissions of many pollutants from the transport sector. European emission standards in road transport have become more stringent over time.
From 1990 to 2022, in the EU-27, there were reductions of 51% in nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions, 82% in sulphur oxides (expressed as SO2), 90% in carbon monoxide (CO), and 76% and 91% in methane (CH4) and non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs), respectively. At the same time, between 1990 and 2022, EU-27 transport emissions of particulate matter (including non-exhaust emissions) with a particle diameter of 10µm/2.5µm or less (PM10/2.5) decreased by 46% and 58% respectively, mostly due to the introduction of particle filters in motor vehicles.
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic influenced these figures, due to the significant contraction in transport volumes during 2020. Two air pollutants have demonstrated substantial growth in recent decades. Between 1990 and 2022, transport emissions of ammonia (NH3) increased by 121% (138% in 1990-2019) while nitrous oxide (N2O) increased by 35%. Emissions from road transport have significantly reduced, except for ammonia (NH3) and nitrous oxide (N2O). Their recent increase is mostly due to new catalytic systems for reducing NOx.
Please consult the relevant indicators and signals below for a more comprehensive overview on the topic.
Zero Pollution Action Plan 2030 target or policy objectives
- Reduce by more than 55% the health impacts (premature deaths) from air pollution.
- Reduce by 25% the EU ecosystems areas where air pollution threatens biodiversity.
Return to the main pages:
Other relevant indicators and signals
References and footnotes
- Non-exhaust emissions come from the wearing down of motor vehicle brake pads, tyres and roads, and the unsettling of particles on the road.↵