Tampere among Europe’s top 10 cities for clean air

Tampere ranks among Europe’s cleanest cities in the latest annual urban air-quality update, according to the City of Tampere.

The ranking evaluated 761 European cities, weighting the actual exposure experienced by an average resident. Oulu placed first; Tampere joined fellow Finnish cities Jyväskylä, Kuopio, Espoo and Lahti in the top ten. The index focused on long-term health risks from three pollutants: fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide and tropospheric ozone.

Finnish and other Nordic cities scored well largely because of low pollutant concentrations and sparse settlement patterns. Location, emission sources and tighter fuel and vehicle standards have also helped, along with a renewed car fleet and generally moderate traffic. Environmental inspector Ari Elsilä said spring street dust problems have been minor in recent years because of weather and improved maintenance.

Officials note that emissions from energy production in Tampere have fallen year by year, although stack emissions tend to disperse into higher atmospheric layers. A recent city report found that electrifying heating cut Tampere's emissions by 9% in 2024 the city's 2024 report on heating emissions. Despite three decades of improvement across Europe, air pollution still poses health risks in most cities.