Europe faces a significant, yet often overlooked, health threat from excessive noise pollution, impacting an estimated 112 million people - approximately 20% of the continent's population. Annual average sound levels exceeding 55 decibels during the day-evening-night period, or 50 decibels at night, are considered excessive.
The European Environment Agency (EEA) links prolonged exposure to transport noise to roughly 66,000 premature deaths annually, alongside 50,000 new cases of cardiovascular diseases and 22,000 cases of type 2 diabetes. For children, the impact is equally alarming, with transport noise contributing to hundreds of thousands of cases of impaired reading comprehension, behavioral problems, and childhood obesity each year.
Road traffic is the primary culprit, affecting 92 million people. Railways impact 18 million, and aeroplane noise affects 2.6 million.
France reports the highest overall exposure, with over 20 million residents affected by street noise. Italy faces significant railway noise issues, affecting 5.3 million, the most in Europe. Germany grapples with aeroplane noise impacting nearly one million.
In percentage terms, Luxembourg and Cyprus experience the highest noise nuisance. Conversely, Slovakia, Portugal, and Estonia offer the quietest environments, with Estonia boasting the strongest night-time peace.
Beyond human health, noise pollution also harms wildlife and marine habitats, with at least 29% of protected areas in the Natura network affected.
Progress in reducing noise exposure has been slow. An EU action plan aiming for a 30% reduction in chronically disturbed individuals by 2030 has seen only a 3% decrease between 2017 and 2022. Experts recommend upstream measures such as regulating vehicle emissions, reducing speed limits, optimizing flight paths, and promoting quieter aircraft to mitigate this pervasive issue.