Deaths attributable to air pollution in the European Union 2019, by country
In 2019, more than 30,000 lives were cut short in Poland due to air pollution exposure. This was the highest number of deaths throughout the European Union, and accounted for 0.8 percent of Poland's population. During peak lockdown's brought on by the outbreak COVID-19, there were thousands of deaths avoided due to lower air pollution, especially in the United Kingdom and Germany. Air pollution is one of the leading causes of premature deaths around the world.
