Only seven countries in the world breathe safe air. Three of them are in Europe

Only seven countries in the world met safe air pollution levels in 2023, according to a report by Swiss air quality technology company IQAir.

The World Air Quality Report, released earlier this year, draws on data from more than 30,000 monitoring stations in 134 countries, territories and regions.

Of these, 124 were found to breach safe levels of PM2.5 (fine particulate matter), according to World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.

These microscopic particles, measuring less than 2.5 microns in diameter, can be inhaled deep into our lungs and even reach our bloodstreams. They have been linked to heart and lung disease, high blood pressure, increased asthma risk, depression and anxiety, and premature death.

The seven countries that met the safe guideline of five micrograms per cubic metre of air (µg/m3) or less were Australia, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius and New Zealand.

Puerto Rico, Bermuda and French Polynesia also fell within safe levels.

In Europe, Iceland had the cleanest air, with 4µg/m3, followed by Estonia with 4.7µg/m3 and Finland with 4.9µg/m3.

A colour scale was used to indicate pollution levels, with many European countries falling in the green category, denoting levels up to double the safe standard.

Starting with the least polluted, these included Sweden, Ireland, Norway, Portugal, Liechtenstein, Denmark, United Kingdom, Andorra, Latvia, Ukraine, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, France, Austria, Spain and Russia.

European cities have shown improvement since the 2022 report, with 54 per cent classified green in 2023 compared with 39 per cent the year before.

In the yellow category - denoting pollution levels up to three times above the safe standard - European countries