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Madrid reaches historic lows in NO₂ pollution
Madrid is breathing cleaner air today than it did a few years ago. Data from the first five months of 2026 show a very significant drop in nitrogen dioxide, the pollutant most closely linked to urban traffic, now at levels almost 50% lower than in 2019.
The change is especially noticeable in the municipal monitoring network. Eleven of the 24 stations already meet the 20 micrograms per cubic metre limit that the European Union will require from 2030, a stricter threshold than the current one and, for years, seemingly out of reach for a city so dependent on cars.
No station now exceeds 30 micrograms in the January to May total. Areas such as Villaverde, Retiro, Plaza de Castilla or Casa de Campo are already below the future European limit, a sign that the improvement is not limited to peripheral or green areas.
Madrid has also complied with the European air quality directive for five consecutive years. This is a major shift for a city that, between 2010 and 2021, repeatedly exceeded NO₂ limits and experienced particularly critical episodes, with 2017 being one of the most difficult years.
The reduction cannot be attributed to a single measure. The disappearance of coal boilers, the low emission zone, fleet renewals, and incentives from the Cambia 360 plan have all pushed the city towards less polluting mobility. Since 2020, these grants have mobilised almost 141 million euros.
Public transport has also played a bigger role in this transformation. EMT eliminated diesel buses in 2022 and is moving towards an increasingly electrified fleet. The Líneas Cero, free all year round, have helped strengthen the role of buses for short journeys and in central areas.
Electric bicycles are also taking up more space in daily mobility. Bicimad now has 635 stations and nearly 8,000 bicycles, a network that allows people to get around many neighbourhoods without using a car. On days with major events, such as the visit of Papa León XIV, the service reached record usage figures.
Better air does not mean the problem is solved. Madrid still faces challenges with traffic, noise, urban heat, and inequality between neighbourhoods. But the data show that the city has left behind some of its worst pollution records and is reaching the new European limits ahead of schedule.
For residents, the change means something very tangible: streets with fewer emissions, cleaner buses, more options to get around without a car, and less pressure on respiratory health. Air quality is no longer just an environmental statistic; it is an increasingly visible part of daily life in Madrid.