Air Pollution in Île-de-France: Major Economic
Impact, Highly Beneficial Mitigation Actions
On the anniversary of the Paris Agreement, Airparif is publishing a new evaluation of the economic impact of air pollution in Île-de-France. This impact, which includes both health and non-health effects as well as the actions taken to combat air pollution, amounts to 28 billion euros per year.
Over a ten-year period, measures to improve air quality have prevented 61 billion euros in economic losses (for fine particles PM2.5 alone), while the cost of these actions was ten times lower.
Beyond health, heritage and agricultural benefits, this improvement also brings significant climate co-benefits.
These results are key elements for informing public decision-making at a time when the new European directive — aimed at protecting public health — is coming into force. Failure to comply with the new standards would also entail financial consequences.
Costs assessed using a scientific methodology
At the regional scale, the economic impact is estimated at 28 billion euros per year, or 2,200 euros per resident of Île-de-France.
This evaluation includes the health impacts, which cover the economic cost of premature deaths attributable to air pollution, as well as morbidity-related costs (consultations, treatments, hospitalizations, social support, home adaptations, absences from work, early retirement, reduced productivity, or difficulties accessing employment).
These health impacts represent 93 percent of the total.
They include both direct material costs (related to the healthcare system) and immaterial impacts (related to premature deaths or loss of well-being for patients and their families).
The non-health costs include agricultural yield losses and building degradation.
Some impacts could not be precisely quantified due to a lack of consolidated data, such as biodiversity loss, contribution to climate change, or depreciation of real estate assets.
Identified non-health costs are estimated at 327 million euros per year, though they are likely underestimated.
In comparison, the annual cost of actions dedicated to reducing air pollution in Île-de-France is estimated at around 1.51 billion euros.
The cost of air-quality monitoring amounts to 80 cents per resident per year.
At the metropolitan scale, the economic impacts amount to 17 billion euros, or 2,345 euros per inhabitant of Greater Paris.
For the capital, they are estimated at 5.7 billion euros, or nearly 2,750 euros per Parisian.
Highly beneficial actions in light of the avoided impacts
Air quality has been improving for several decades for all regulated pollutants, except ozone, due to public policies implemented at various levels (European, national, and local).
Because of the available data, it is only possible to estimate the long-term evolution of economic impacts for mortality linked to exposure to fine particles, which accounted for three-quarters of all premature deaths attributable to air pollution in 2019.
It is estimated that the number of premature deaths due to fine particle (PM2.5) pollution fell from 10,350 to 6,220 between 2010 and 2019.
The avoided economic impacts over this period amount to 61 billion euros.
By comparison, over these ten years, investments associated with improving air quality exceeded 5 billion euros, increasing from 468 million euros in 2010 to 875 million euros in 2019.
This reflects the growing commitment of all stakeholders during this period, resulting ultimately in a minimum factor of 10, in economic terms, in favor of actions aimed at reducing air pollution.
mproving air quality in Île-de-France is a major lever for protecting public health, by preventing numerous cases of chronic disease and contributing to an increase in healthy life expectancy. It is also a regulatory issue with the adoption, in 2024, of the new European directive on ambient air quality.
This directive provides for a strengthening of limit values for several pollutants by 2030, in order to better protect public health, in light of scientific advances and World Health Organization recommendations, while also offering citizens easier access to justice.
A significant part of the Île-de-France region still lies above these future thresholds. In this context, anticipating compliance is essential not only for its health and economic co-benefits but also for legal reasons, given the risks of litigation and financial penalties.
This regional evaluation and the associated methodology are being shared with ATMO France, the federation of approved air-quality monitoring associations (AASQA), as well as with the various regional AASQAs, to support their territorial work. It will also be shared with ADEME, in connection with the request made by the Minister for Ecological Transition, Biodiversity, Forests, the Sea and Fisheries during the “Roquelaure de l’air” meeting on 12 May 2025.
Methodology: Airparif, Economic impacts of air pollution in Île-de-France, September 2025 [online]
Summary report: Airparif, Economic impacts of air pollution in Île-de-France, September 2025 [online]
Territorial infographics for the region, the Greater Paris Metropolis, and the city of Paris are also available online.
Press contact: communication@airparif.fr