The city is suffocating us/ Pollution in Tirana exceeds global safety standards 3 times

2026-05-24 08:43:00, Denoncim CNA

The city is suffocating us/ Pollution in Tirana exceeds global safety standards

Tirana is facing an alarming environmental reality, where air quality is becoming a serious threat to the health of its residents. According to the latest data from the global monitoring platform IQAir, Tirana is ranked as the 19th most polluted city in the world out of 9,446 cities analyzed. This statistic clearly shows that the Albanian capital remains far from healthy standards, positioning itself in a risk zone where pollution is persistent.

The city is suffocating us/ Pollution in Tirana exceeds global safety standards

The analysis of PM2.5 fine particle values ????for the period 2020-2025 highlights a worrying fluctuation. Despite a slight decrease in 2025 with an annual average of 12.9 µg/m³, the level remains more than double the World Health Organization's safety norm, which advises a limit of 5 µg/m³. The history of recent years testifies to an unstoppable crisis, in 2020 the levels were 16.0 µg/m³, in 2021 they were 12.5 µg/m³, in 2022 they were 14.5 µg/m³, while in 2023 they reached a peak of 16.7 µg/m³, to continue with 14.5 µg/m³ in 2024. These figures prove that the air in Tirana is inhaled in toxic conditions almost every year.

The city is suffocating us/ Pollution in Tirana exceeds global safety standards

This reality is also supported by the technical report of the organization Co-PLAN, published in March 2025, which identifies the city as an area of ??constant pollution. The report confirms that areas with high construction density, such as the Former Train Station, the Combine, the Ring Road area and Elbasani Road, are choked with PM2.5, PM10 and nitrogen dioxide particles. In addition to air quality, Co-PLAN reports a double crisis through noise pollution, where urban noise exceeds tolerable levels for sleep and well-being, as a result of traffic congestion and chaotic urban planning.

The city is suffocating us/ Pollution in Tirana exceeds global safety standards

This crisis is not simply a natural phenomenon, but a direct consequence of the aggressive concreting that has blocked the clean streams coming from the Dajti Mountain. While responsible institutions, such as the Municipality of Tirana and the Ministry of Tourism and Environment, continue to remain silent or manipulate reality, citizens are paying the cost with their health, facing an increase in respiratory and cardiovascular diseases./ CNA