What are the greenest cities in Europe? In this world full of modern technology and urbanisation, a green and healthy life has become the goal pursued by more and more people. Europe not only has a long history and a forward civilisation process, but also is at the forefront of the world in terms of green and sustainable development. Under the current situation of global warming, becoming a green city is a badge of honour. If you were to choose the most eco-friendly and greenest city in Europe, what would you value? Lush parks, syed streets, vast grasslands, primitive forests, or universal green infrastructure, the use of renewable energy? In this guide, we will discuss which are the greenest cities in Europe, hoping to provide you with some references.
Top 10 Greenest Cities Europe
What are the criteria for judging Europe’s greenest cities? This should take into account not only natural aspects but also humanistic factors. The top 10 European greenest cities listed in this blog are based on five scoring criteria:
- Green spaces
- Air quality
- Pollution index
- Quality of life
- Life expectancy
The following is the list of top 10 greenest European cities.
| Top 10 Greenest Cities Europe | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cities | Green Spaces （100 best） |
Air Quality （100 best) |
Pollution Index (0 best) |
Quality of Life (100 best) |
Life Expectancy (yesrs) |
| Oslo, Norway | 87 | 75 | 23 | 91 | 82.5 |
| Stockholm, Sweden | 85 | 70 | 25 | 89 | 82 |
| Vienna, Austria | 85 | 65 | 30 | 93 | 81 |
| Ljubljana, Slovenia | 78 | 60 | 27 | 81 | 79 |
| Copenhagen, Denmark | 83 | 80 | 25 | 89 | 81.5 |
| Lisbon, Portugal | 80 | 55 | 37 | 82 | 81 |
| Tallinn, Estonia | 76 | 65 | 30 | 76 | 78 |
| Vilnius, Lithuania | 75 | 60 | 32 | 76 | 77.5 |
| Amsterdam, Netherlands | 82 | 50 | 40 | 87 | 82.5 |
| Paris, France | 79 | 40 | 55 | 83 | 82 |
Europe’s Greenest Cities
Oslo, Norway
Oslo is renowned as the greenest city in Europe for its lush green spaces, encompassing over 2,000 hectares of parks and forests, which make up nearly a third of the city. These green areas offer a perfect escape into nature, with scenic spots like the Vigeland Park and Nordmarka Forest. The city enjoys excellent air quality, thanks to its focus on sustainable living and low industrial emissions. The pollution index is among the lowest in Europe.
Oslo excels in quality of life, offering strong public services, high safety, and environmental sustainability. Consistently ranking as one of the happiest cities, it provides its residents with exceptional healthcare and work-life balance, contributing to a life expectancy of around 82 years.
Stockholm, Sweden
Stockholm is a green city in Europe, with over 1,000 parks and islands, covering approximately 4,000 hectares of green land. Its abundant green spaces, including the archipelago and areas like Djurgården and Kungsträdgården, make it a haven for outdoor lovers.
The city boasts excellent air quality, benefiting from its eco-conscious transport and energy policies. With a low pollution index, Stockholm shines in quality of life. It’s a leader in sustainability and social welfare, making it one of the world’s happiest cities. The life expectancy here is around 82 years, supported by a robust healthcare system and a high standard of living.
Vienna, Austria
Vienna is one of the greenest cities in Europe where green meets grandeur. It offers over 2,000 hectares of public parks, gardens, and forests, including the iconic Prater Park and Stadtpark. These spaces are beautifully integrated into the city’s urban landscape.
The air quality in Vienna is generally good, with efforts to reduce pollution through strict environmental policies. The pollution index is moderate but improving, especially with the city’s commitment to sustainability. Vienna regularly ranks at the top in quality of life surveys, thanks to its excellent healthcare, cultural richness, and safety. With a life expectancy of around 81 years, it offers a blend of comfort and longevity.
Ljubljana, Sloveni
Ljubljana, while smaller, is blessed with green spaces that make it a charming, eco-friendly capital. The city covers about 500 hectares of parkland, including the beautiful Tivoli Park and green corridors along the Ljubljanica River.
Its air quality is generally good, and the city’s efforts to promote cycling and public transport have led to a lower pollution index. The overall quality of life in Ljubljana is steadily improving, with affordable living, a relaxed pace, and a focus on sustainability. The life expectancy is around 80 years, reflecting Slovenia’s quality healthcare and lifestyle. As one of Europe’s greenest cities, it is definitely worthy.
Copenhagen, Denmark
A greenest city in Europe—Copenhagen is a model of urban sustainability, with over 2,000 hectares of green spaces that include beautiful parks like King’s Garden, and the ever-popular Fælledparken. The city is renowned for its excellent air quality, aided by its commitment to cycling, public transport, and renewable energy. Copenhagen’s pollution index is low, thanks to proactive environmental policies.
The city consistently ranks high in quality of life thanks to its work-life balance, safety, and strong social security system. Copenhagen is often ranked among the happiest cities in the world, and with a life expectancy of 82 years, it shows that good living conditions foster longevity.
Lisbon, Portuga
Lisbon is a special one of the greenest cities in Europe, of which the charm lies in its blend of historical beauty and natural green spaces, covering approximately 1,000 hectares. The Eduardo VII Park and Monsanto Forest offer refreshing escapes. While Lisbon’s air quality is generally good, there are occasional dips in pollution during peak traffic hours. The pollution index is moderate, yet Lisbon continues to be an attractive city with an affordable cost of living, a mild climate, and a vibrant culture. Its quality of life is bolstered by rich cultural heritage and affordable healthcare. Life expectancy stands at about 81 years, benefiting from Portugal’s healthcare system and lifestyle.
Tallinn, Estonia
Tallinn is among the greenest European cities where nature is never far away. It boasts over 500 hectares of green land, including Kadriorg Park and surrounding forests, providing a serene backdrop to the urban landscape. The city benefits from good air quality and relatively low pollution, as it actively promotes sustainability. Tallinn’s pollution index is low, especially compared to larger cities. Its quality of life is rising, with a strong digital infrastructure, affordable housing, and a safe environment. Tallinn’s life expectancy is around 78 years, driven by Estonia’s improving healthcare and increasing quality of life.
Vilnius, Lithuania
Vilnius, with its beautiful green spaces, spans over 600 hectares of parks and natural reserves, including the peaceful Vingis Park. The air quality is generally acceptable, though it can fluctuate with traffic congestion in certain areas. The city has a moderate pollution index, which has been improving in recent years as environmental policies take effect. Quality of life in Vilnius is good, offering a safe environment and affordable living. While still developing, Vilnius ranks high for its cultural scene and social security system. Life expectancy here is about 78 years, benefiting from Lithuania’s improving healthcare and lifestyle. Vilnius ranks as the greenest cities in Europe.
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam is a greenest city in Europe of canals and parks, with over 2,500 hectares of green spaces, including the expansive Vondelpark and nearby Amsterdamse Bos. The city enjoys good air quality, though air pollution can sometimes rise during rush hour. The pollution index is moderate but well-managed through strict environmental regulations. Amsterdam’s quality of life is exceptional, offering excellent public services, healthcare, and infrastructure, as well as a vibrant cultural scene. Amsterdam regularly ranks highly in terms of sustainability and happiness, and its life expectancy is about 82 years, thanks to a healthy lifestyle and high standard of living.
Paris, France
Paris is quite the greenest capital city in Europe with its beautiful gardens and parks like the Luxembourg Gardens and Bois de Boulogne. It offers around 1,300 hectares of green spaces within the city. The air quality in Paris, however, can fluctuate, particularly due to traffic and industrial emissions, making its pollution index relatively high at times. Still, Paris provides an excellent quality of life with its cultural richness, world-class public services, and vibrant social scene. Though the city faces challenges with pollution, it remains a hub of art, fashion, and history. Life expectancy in Paris is around 82 years, benefiting from France’s healthcare system and a Mediterranean-influenced diet.
Greenest Cities Europe with Public Green Parks
We has introduced 10 greenest cities in Europe, among which there are plenty of parks. The construction of parks shows the green programs of a city to a great extent. Let’s take a look at the number of those parks.
- Stockholm-1,500
- Oslo-1,000
- Vienna-1,000
- Paris-450
- Ljubljana-200
- Copenhagen-150
- Tallinn-100
- Amsterdam-100
- Vilnius-70
- Lisbon-60
Greenest Cities Europe with Sustainable and Green Career
Sustainability is an important goal for future development. Some people choose to contribute to combat global climate change and creating a green earth through their own work. Do you also have such a desire? Among the 10 greenest European cities, we have surveyed which cities offer green job opportunities to help you choose to pursue a sustainable career. Of course, we will also list the average salary of these occupations for your consideration.
Paris, France:
- 12,015 jobs in sustainability
- 677 jobs requiring green skills
- Average salary-€2,673
Stockholm, Sweden:
- 4,045jobs in sustainability
- 182 jobs requiring green skills
- Average salary-€2,896
Amsterdam, Netherlands:
- 1,179 jobs in sustainability
- 307 jobs requiring green skills
- Average salary-€3,490
Actually, out of the list of the greenest cities in Europe, there are several other European cities offering large amounts of relative job opportunities.
London, United Kingdom:
- 10,417 jobs in sustainability
- 2,784 jobs requiring green skills
- Average salary-€3,461
Lyon, France:
- 10,554 jobs in sustainability
- 846 jobs requiring green skills
- Average salary-€2,577
Methodology
The used measurement criteria of the greenest cities in Europe are detailed analysed as follows:
Green spaces
Green spaces mainly include the parks, gardens, nature areas and forests. The measurement of green spaces of the cities involves evaluating the availability,quality and accessibility of these spaces. That is to say it considers the green space per capita, green space density, the environmental initiatives and urban planning of the city, and the city’s green policies.
Air quality
The criteria for judging air quality synthesise the concentration of a variety of pollutants, weather factors, and the city’s environmental management policies. Key pollutants such as PM2.5, ozone, nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide directly affect the air quality index (AQI), thus determining the quality of air. Together, these factors determine the health risks and quality of life of urban residents.
Pollution index
The judging factors of the pollution index are multifaceted, covering the concentration of major pollutants in the air (such as PM2.5, ozone, NO2, etc.), environmental and climatic conditions, types of pollution sources, and the coverage rate of green space, etc.
Quality of life
Measuring quality of life is multi-dimensional. It includes the sustainability and happiness, human development, physical environment and so on.
Life expectancy
Life expectancy refers to the average number of years a person is expected to live, based on a variety of factors such as the current health conditions, living standards, medical care, lifestyle choices, and environmental influences.
Conclusion
Except for the 10 greenest cities in Europe we mentioned in this guide, there are so many other green cities like London, Lyon, Helsinki, Zurich,Bruges…… Europe is home to some of the world’s most sustainable and environmentally conscious cities, with a growing commitment to enhancing urban green spaces. From the lush parks of Vienna to the eco-friendly initiatives in Copenhagen, these cities not only prioritize green spaces for leisure and recreation but also lead the way in environmental stewardship. As more cities adopt sustainable urban planning practices, we can expect the trend of greener cities to continue, improving quality of life and contributing to the fight against climate change.
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FAQ
What are top 10 greenest cities Europe?
10 greenest cities in Europe are:
- Oslo, Norway
- Stockholm, Sweden
- Vienna, Austria
- Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- Lisbon, Portugal
- Tallinn, Estonia
- Vilnius, Lithuania
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Paris, France
Which city has the most greenery in Europe?
Oslo, the capital of Norway, has the most greenery in Europe 2025,.
Oslo is widely recognized for its green spaces, environmental initiatives, and commitment to sustainability. The city integrates nature into urban life in a variety of innovative ways. That’s why Oslo stands out in terms of greenery.
Is London the greenest city in Europe?
While London is certainly one of the greenest cities Europe, it isn’t typically ranked as the absolute greenest. There are other European cities, such as Vienna, Stockholm, and Oslo, that often come out ahead in sustainability and green space metrics. However, London has many notable green features that place it near the top in terms of urban greenery.
Which is the greenest capital of Europe?
Oslo, the capital of Norway.
Oslo is widely recognized for its green spaces, environmental initiatives, and commitment to sustainability. The city integrates nature into urban life in a variety of innovative ways. That’s why Oslo stands out in terms of greenery.
Which is the city with most green space in the world?
The capital of Iceland, Reykjavík may have the most green space by percentage of land area. Approximately 40% of the city’s land area is dedicated to parks, recreational areas, and other green spaces. The city’s proximity to nature, including mountains, geothermal hot springs, and volcanic landscapes, enhances its natural beauty and green coverage.
