Air quality in Germany: where to check and what to do

Short answer. Check the Federal Environment Agency's (UBA) Air Quality Index, the LQI, on its current air data page ¹². It rates each station hourly in five classes, from "very good" to "very bad", using ozone, nitrogen dioxide, fine particles and sulphur dioxide ¹. On "bad" or "very bad" days, do strenuous outdoor activity at times or places with cleaner air, and cut back if you cough or feel breathless ¹.

Where can I check air quality right now?

The UBA publishes current measurements and the LQI for monitoring stations across Germany on its air data page (Luftdaten) ². The index is based on the most recent hourly values of each station ¹. The worst-rated pollutant sets the station's class and colour, and not every station measures all five pollutants ¹.

What do the index levels mean?

The LQI has five classes: sehr gut (very good), gut (good), mäßig (moderate), schlecht (bad) and sehr schlecht (very bad) ¹. The UBA derived the thresholds from health studies and the WHO recommendations ¹. For fine particles (PM2.5), the boundaries are based on 5 µg/m³ (very good/good), 15 µg/m³ (good/moderate), 30 µg/m³ (moderate/bad) and 50 µg/m³ (bad/very bad) ¹.

For sensitive groups, the UBA advises moving strenuous outdoor activity to times or places with better air on "bad" days, and avoiding or moving it on "very bad" days; reduce or stop activity if symptoms appear, and seek medical advice if they persist ¹. See Air quality index explained.

How polluted is the air on average?

Moderately. The population-weighted median of German cities shows about 9 µg/m³ of PM2.5 (annual mean 2021-2023) ⁴, almost twice the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³ ⁶. Nitrogen dioxide is about 11.5 µg/m³ ⁵, just above the WHO guideline of 10 µg/m³ ⁶. That NO2 figure is a regional background over roughly 80 km: a busy street will be higher.

What should I do on a bad air day, or with smoke or dust?

• Bad air days: follow the LQI advice above and see Pollution episodes and Sensitive people and polluted air.
• Ozone: the information threshold is 180 µg/m³ as a 1-hour mean, and above it advice is given to the public through the media; the alert threshold of 240 µg/m³ means a health risk for the whole population ³. People with damaged airways, such as asthmatics, should avoid physical effort outdoors when ozone is high ³. See Ozone days.
• Smoke, gases or fumes: official warnings are published on warnung.bund.de and in the BBK's NINA warning app ⁷⁸. If gases or fumes escape outdoors, the BBK says go into a building, close windows and doors, seal them, and switch off ventilation ⁸. See Wildfire smoke, A clean-air room at home and Masks for smoke.
• Dust: see Dust storms.

A household plan can list who in your home is sensitive to polluted air and where to shelter.

Frequently asked questions

Is Germany's LQI the same as the European index?

No. The UBA publishes its own index and explains on its LQI page how it differs from the European Air Quality Index ¹.

What ozone level triggers public advice in Germany?

180 µg/m³ as a 1-hour mean; 240 µg/m³ is the alert threshold ³.

Where do I get smoke warnings?

On warnung.bund.de and in the NINA app ⁷⁸. See our Germany alerts page.

Should I see a doctor on a bad air day?

The UBA advises medical advice for persistent symptoms, and also for long-lasting or recurring symptoms regardless of air quality ¹.

Sources

1. Umweltbundesamt (UBA) — Der Luftqualitätsindex – LQI — https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/berechnungsgrundlagen-luftqualitaetsindex (accessed 2026-10-27)
2. Umweltbundesamt (UBA) — Luftdaten — https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/daten/luft/luftdaten (accessed 2026-10-27)
3. Umweltbundesamt (UBA) — Ozon-Belastung — https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/daten/luft/ozon-belastung (accessed 2026-10-27)
4. Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group (ACAG), Washington University in St. Louis — Surface PM2.5, V6.GL.02.04 (annual mean 2021-2023) — https://sites.wustl.edu/acag/datasets/surface-pm2-5/ (accessed 2026-10-27)
5. Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) — CAMS global reanalysis (EAC4) — https://ads.atmosphere.copernicus.eu/ (accessed 2026-10-27)
6. World Health Organization (WHO) — WHO global air quality guidelines (2021) — https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240034228 (accessed 2026-10-27)
7. Bundesamt für Bevölkerungsschutz und Katastrophenhilfe (BBK) — Warnmeldungen – warnung.bund.de — https://warnung.bund.de/ (accessed 2026-10-27)
8. Bundesamt für Bevölkerungsschutz und Katastrophenhilfe (BBK) — Vorsorgen für Krisen und Katastrophen (2. Auflage, Stand 11/2025) — https://www.bbk.bund.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/Mediathek/Publikationen/Buergerinformationen/Ratgeber/BBK-Vorsorgen-fuer-Krisen-und-Katastrophen.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=44 (accessed 2026-10-27)