From Coal to Traffic: The Five Biggest Air Pollution Challenges in Serbia and How to Fix Them

Serbia faces one of the most severe air pollution burdens in Europe. According to the European Environment Agency’s (EEA) 2024 report, the average population exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in Serbia reached 19.1 µg/m³, nearly four times the World Health Organization’s recommended annual limit of 5 µg/m³. This level of pollution isn’t just a statistic – it’s a public health crisis. Globally, ambient air pollution is linked to an estimated 4.2 million premature deaths each year, underscoring the urgent need for action at both national and local levels.

Health Impact of Polluted Air

Air pollution is not just an environmental issue – it’s a public health emergency. According to research by Berkeley Earth, breathing air with a daily PM2.5 level of 22 µg/m³ is roughly equivalent to smoking one cigarette per day. In Serbia, where PM2.5 levels often exceed this threshold, the health consequences are widespread and severe.

Unlike cigarette smoke, polluted air affects everyone, regardless of age or lifestyle. However, its impact is especially damaging to children, whose lungs and immune systems are still developing. Exposure to fine particulate matter and other pollutants has been linked to:

• Respiratory diseases such as asthma, bronchitis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Cardiovascular problems, including an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes
• Lung cancer, particularly in areas with prolonged exposure to high PM2.5 levels
• Cognitive and developmental issues in children, including impaired learning and memory
• Mental health effects, with emerging research linking air pollution to anxiety, depression, and even neurodegenerative diseases.

Globally, the average human lifespan is shortened by approximately 1.8 years due to the combined effects of ambient PM2.5 and ozone pollution, as well as indoor air pollution from burning wood and solid fuels for cooking and heating.

The science is clear: cleaner air means longer, healthier lives.

Polluted Serbian Cities Examples

According to the Air Quality and Health in the Republic of Serbia (2022) report, over 50% of Serbia’s population lives in areas where the annual PM2.5 levels exceed the WHO Air Quality Guideline.

The Analysis of the Air Quality in the Republic of Serbia in 2024, conducted by the Renewables and Environmental Regulatory Institute (RERI), highlights several urban centers with persistent pollution problems. As the report states:

“Cities such as Bor, Smederevo, Pančevo, Užice, and Novi Pazar regularly record exceedances of the permitted concentrations of suspended particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ground-level ozone (O3), and heavy metals. Residents of Beočin, Kosjerić, and Popovac are exposed to dust emissions from cement plants, often without any local air quality monitoring.”

In Belgrade, the average annual PM2.5 concentration reached 17.9 µg/m³ in 2024, ranking the Serbian capital 1304th among 8954 cities worldwide for the worst air quality. The city’s annual Air Quality Index (AQI) average of 58 indicates levels that can be particularly harmful to children. From mid-October onward, outdoor activities such as sports and dining are often discouraged due to poor air conditions.

Beyond the capital, cities like Leskovac, Niš, Novi Sad, and Kaluđerica frequently experience “unhealthy” air days in November, when even healthy individuals may begin to feel adverse effects. During winter, pollution levels can peak up to 70% above the WHO limit, driven by increased heating and stagnant atmospheric conditions.

Metric	PM2.5 (µg/m³)	NO₂ (µg/m³)
Belgrade annual mean (2024)	19.1	16.2
European annual mean (2022)	11.4	14.1
WHO limit (2021)	5	10

Annual Mean Concentrations of Air Pollutants: Belgrade vs EU Average vs WHO Guidelines

Serbia’s Top Five Air Pollution Factors

Air pollution in Serbia is driven by a complex mix of environmental, technological, and policy-related challenges. While the symptoms – smoggy skies, respiratory illness, and winter pollution spikes – might be visible across the country, the root causes are often overlooked. Here are the five primary contributors to Serbia’s air quality crisis:

1. Household Heating & Solid Fuel Combustion: Approximately 60% of Serbian households still rely on firewood, coal, or lignite for heating. Outdated stoves and poor insulation contribute to massive PM emissions during the winter months. The use of fossil fuels remains the dominant source of ambient PM2.5 in the country.
2. Industrial & Power-Generation Emissions: Serbia’s energy mix is heavily reliant on lignite, one of the dirtiest forms of coal. Outdated power plants and industrial facilities emit high levels of sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and PM, significantly degrading air quality in surrounding regions. 
3. Traffic & Transport: Most vehicles in Serbia are over 15 years old, earning the country the unfortunate nickname of the “European graveyard of cars.” Dense traffic and a diesel-dominated fleet are major contributors to elevated NO2 levels in major cities, particularly during rush hours and winter months.
4. Geography & Seasonal Weather: Cities like Niš and Kragujevac are located in valleys that trap pollution under temperature inversions. During windless winter nights, pollutants accumulate close to the ground, intensifying exposure and health risks for residents.
5. Monitoring & Policy Gaps: Serbia’s national network includes 80 managed air quality monitoring stations, with major urban centers such as Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš, and Kragujevac relatively well-covered. However, rural and smaller municipalities often lack monitoring infrastructure, leaving many communities without reliable data. The Serbian Air Protection Program for 2022–2030 acknowledges critical gaps in both data collection and enforcement.

Looking Ahead: Clean Air by 2030

In 2022, the Government of Serbia adopted the Air Protection Program for 2022–2030, a national strategy aimed at cutting health damage from poor air quality by 50% compared to 2015 levels. The plan focuses on reducing population exposure to air pollution while also limiting harm to ecosystems.

Although national PM2.5 concentrations have shown a gradual decline from 2015 to 2023, implementation at the municipality level remains weak. Many communities still struggle to bring pollution levels below legal and health-based thresholds.

To meet the 2030 goals, Serbia must accelerate action across five key areas:

1. Urban Monitoring & Transparency: roll out new monitoring stations with public dashboards in smaller cities
2. Cleaner Household Heating: restrict use of low-grade coal for home heating, e.g., by providing subsidies for boiler replacement and improvement of home insulation
3. Industrial Reform: modernize outdated power plants and phase out lignite
4. Greener Transport: implement low-emission zones in urban areas, improve and expand public transport networks
5. Emergency Response & Urban Planning: issue real-time public alerts during pollution spikes and expand urban green belts to absorb pollutants.

Achieving clean air by 2030 will require more than policy – it demands collaboration across sectors. Partnering with air quality innovators like Airly, whose sensors deliver hyperlocal data, can significantly improve monitoring in rural and underserved areas, enhance public awareness, and enable timely alerts during pollution peaks. 

With the right blend of innovative technology and effective governance, Serbia can breathe easier in the years ahead.

A Breath of Fresh Future: Why Tackling Air Pollution Is Serbia’s Urgent Imperative

Air pollution in Serbia is more than an environmental concern – it’s a public health emergency that demands urgent, data-driven action. Achieving the WHO air quality standards could prevent thousands of premature deaths each year and dramatically improve the quality of life across the country.

With real-time monitoring, public transparency, and strategic partnerships, Serbia has the tools to reverse its trajectory.

The path to clean air is clear. What’s needed now is the will to walk it – because every breath should be a right, not a risk.

 

References:

1. https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/who-global-air-quality-guidelines
2. https://reri.org.rs/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Analysis-of-the-Air-Quality-in-the-Republic-of-Serbia-in-2024.pdf
3. http://www.who.int/teams/environment-climate-change-and-health/air-quality-energy-and-health/health-impacts/exposure-air-pollution/worldwide-ambient-air-pollution-accounts-for-29-of-deaths
4. https://berkeleyearth.org/air-pollution-and-cigarette-equivalence/
5. https://www.stateofglobalair.org/sites/default/files/documents/2022-03/soga-life-expectancy_0.pdf
6. https://www.stateofglobalair.org/resources/report/air-quality-and-health-serbia
7. https://www.iqair.com/world-most-polluted-cities?cities=nDEeuXCtyanufBLa6
8. https://aqicn.org/map/leskovac/
9. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1364032122004105
10. https://wiiw.ac.at/the-energy-transition-in-the-western-balkans-the-status-quo-major-challenges-and-how-to-overcome-them-dlp-6896.pdf
11. https://www.vreme.com/en/ekonomija/srbija-i-dalje-evropsko-groblje-automobila/
12. https://www.iqair.com/me/profile/national-network-of-automatic-stations-for-air-quality-monitoring
13. https://cordmagazine.com/serbia/serbian-government-adopts-air-protection-action-plan-for-2022-to-2030/
14. https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/europe-environment-2025/countries/serbia/health-impacts-of-air-pollution