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

Short answer. Latvia's environment and meteorology centre, LVĢMC, publishes air quality measurements from its monitoring stations ¹. For a colour-coded reading, the European Environment Agency's index rates stations in six levels, from "good" to "extremely poor", with 48-hour forecasts ². Phaenyx found no separate Latvian index scale or official smoke warning. On "poor" days or worse, sensitive people should cut back on outdoor activity ².

Where can I check air quality right now?

LVĢMC (Latvijas Vides, ģeoloģijas un meteoroloģijas centrs) shows its air monitoring stations and their measurements on its air quality page ¹.

The European Air Quality Index covers Latvia with hourly station data and a 1 x 1 km modelled layer for places without a station nearby, plus forecasts for the next 48 hours; it has a mobile app for Android and iOS ².

What do the index levels mean?

The European index has six levels, set by the worst of five pollutants (PM2.5, PM10, nitrogen dioxide, ozone and sulphur dioxide) ². LVĢMC's air quality map uses the same limits as the European index for all five pollutants; for fine particles (PM2.5) they are 5, 15, 50, 90 and 140 µg/m³ ¹². Phaenyx found no separate official index scale for Latvia.

The EEA notes that its index shows short-term (hourly) conditions, not the long-term situation ². See Air quality index explained.

How polluted is the air on average?

The population-weighted median of Latvian cities shows about 9 µg/m³ of PM2.5 (annual mean 2021-2023) ³, almost twice the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³ ⁵. Nitrogen dioxide is about 5.8 µg/m³ ⁴, below the WHO guideline of 10 µg/m³ ⁵. That NO2 figure is a regional background over roughly 80 km: a busy street in Riga will be higher.

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

On "poor" days or worse, sensitive people should cut back on outdoor activity ².

• Poor, very poor or extremely poor: follow the EEA advice above. For the general public, "poor" and "very poor" mean considering less intense outdoor activity if you have sore eyes, a cough or a sore throat; "extremely poor" means reducing physical activities outdoors ².
• Who is sensitive: adults and children with breathing problems and adults with heart conditions ². See People sensitive to polluted air and Children and polluted air.
• Smoke or dust: Phaenyx found no official Latvian guidance on wildfire smoke or pollution episodes. See Wildfire smoke, A clean-air room at home, Masks for smoke and Pollution episodes. How warnings reach you is on our Latvia alerts page.

A household plan can note who at home is sensitive to polluted air and where to stay on bad days.

Frequently asked questions

Does Latvia have its own air quality index?

No. LVĢMC's map uses the same limits as the European index, and Phaenyx found no separate national scale ¹².

Where are the forecasts?

The European Air Quality Index shows forecasts for the next 48 hours, on its website and app ².

Is Latvia's air clean?

Nitrogen dioxide is below the WHO guideline as a regional background, but fine particles in cities average about 9 µg/m³, almost twice the guideline ³⁴⁵.

Who should take care on poor-air days?

People with breathing problems and adults with heart conditions ².