Highest Air Pollution in England
English upper-tier local authorities ranked by the highest combined DEFRA maximum annual-mean PM2.5 + NO2 (2024), against WHO and UK limits.
Which areas in England have the highest air pollution?
Manchester records the highest combined air pollution of England's ranked upper-tier local authorities, with a maximum modelled annual-mean of 10 μg/m³ PM2.5 and 55 μg/m³ NO2 (DEFRA 2024) — NO2 well above the WHO 2021 guideline of 10 μg/m³. The included-area mean is 9.4/26.8 μg/m³.
| Rank | Local authority | Max PM2.5 | Max NO2 | Combined | GHPI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester | 10 μg/m³ | 55 μg/m³ | 65 μg/m³ | 27.1 / 100 |
| 2 | Bristol, City of | 9 μg/m³ | 45 μg/m³ | 54 μg/m³ | 45.9 / 100 |
| 3 | Birmingham | 11 μg/m³ | 42 μg/m³ | 53 μg/m³ | 39.3 / 100 |
| 4 | Liverpool | 9 μg/m³ | 43 μg/m³ | 52 μg/m³ | 32.6 / 100 |
| 5 | Coventry | 10 μg/m³ | 41 μg/m³ | 51 μg/m³ | 44.7 / 100 |
| 6 | Oxfordshire | 10 μg/m³ | 40 μg/m³ | 50 μg/m³ | 60.4 / 100 |
| 7 | Bradford | 10 μg/m³ | 39 μg/m³ | 49 μg/m³ | 46.8 / 100 |
| 8 | Westminster | 12 μg/m³ | 36 μg/m³ | 48 μg/m³ | 64.5 / 100 |
| 9 | Sheffield | 10 μg/m³ | 37 μg/m³ | 47 μg/m³ | 53.6 / 100 |
| 10 | Islington | 12 μg/m³ | 35 μg/m³ | 47 μg/m³ | 54.5 / 100 |
| 11 | Camden | 12 μg/m³ | 35 μg/m³ | 47 μg/m³ | 68.9 / 100 |
| 12 | Nottingham | 10 μg/m³ | 36 μg/m³ | 46 μg/m³ | 45.2 / 100 |
| 13 | Leeds | 10 μg/m³ | 36 μg/m³ | 46 μg/m³ | 51.8 / 100 |
| 14 | Tower Hamlets | 12 μg/m³ | 34 μg/m³ | 46 μg/m³ | 51.9 / 100 |
| 15 | Hillingdon | 11 μg/m³ | 35 μg/m³ | 46 μg/m³ | 54.5 / 100 |
| 16 | Stoke-on-Trent | 11 μg/m³ | 34 μg/m³ | 45 μg/m³ | 46.5 / 100 |
| 17 | Salford | 10 μg/m³ | 34 μg/m³ | 44 μg/m³ | 51.4 / 100 |
| 18 | Stockport | 10 μg/m³ | 34 μg/m³ | 44 μg/m³ | 59.9 / 100 |
| 19 | Lambeth | 11 μg/m³ | 33 μg/m³ | 44 μg/m³ | 60.9 / 100 |
| 20 | Hammersmith and Fulham | 12 μg/m³ | 32 μg/m³ | 44 μg/m³ | 62.5 / 100 |
| 21 | Kensington and Chelsea | 12 μg/m³ | 32 μg/m³ | 44 μg/m³ | 72 / 100 |
| 22 | Leicester | 10 μg/m³ | 33 μg/m³ | 43 μg/m³ | 47.3 / 100 |
| 23 | Derby | 10 μg/m³ | 33 μg/m³ | 43 μg/m³ | 49 / 100 |
| 24 | Essex | 10 μg/m³ | 33 μg/m³ | 43 μg/m³ | 57.5 / 100 |
| 25 | Hackney | 12 μg/m³ | 31 μg/m³ | 43 μg/m³ | 62.3 / 100 |
Explore further
Highest air pollution in England: FAQs
- Which area in England has the worst air pollution?
- Manchester records the highest combined maximum annual-mean PM2.5 + NO2 (10 + 55 μg/m³) of the ranked English upper-tier local authorities, from DEFRA UK-AIR 2024 data. NO2 there exceeds the WHO 2021 guideline (10 μg/m³).
- What are the air-quality limit values?
- The WHO 2021 annual-mean guidelines are 5 μg/m³ (PM2.5) and 10 μg/m³ (NO2). The UK statutory limit values DEFRA assesses compliance against are 20 μg/m³ (PM2.5) and 40 μg/m³ (NO2). Figures here are the maximum modelled across each authority for 2024.
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Contains public sector information published by Gera Systems and licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (source data). Source: Gera Healthy-Place Index — composite of DEFRA + ONS + CQC open data (Air 2024 calendar year; life expectancy 2017-19; GP ratings 2026-06-01, published 19 June 2026).