The Czech Republic rose slightly to 19th place in an index comparing the state of the environment in EU countries, up from 22nd place in 2023 and 2024, according to the Prosperity and Financial Health Index developed by Ceska Sporitelna and the Europe in Data project.
As in previous years, Sweden has the best environmental performance, while Ireland, Cyprus and Greece remain the three worst countries in the EU.
Although, according to the Eurostat data, total greenhouse gas emissions per capita in the Czech Republic have been declining over the years, it is still one of the country’s worst-performing indicators. The Czech Republic remains the sixth largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the EU per capita, though the figure has fallen from 10.16 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent to 9.25 tonnes year-on-year.
“The biggest decrease in emissions in the Czech Republic is recorded in the energy sector, thanks to the gradual shutdown of coal-fired power plants and the transition to renewable sources,” said Barbora Koci from the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (CHMU).
In manufacturing, the carbon footprint is decreasing due to the adoption of more efficient technologies.
According to the European Environment Agency (EEA), the Czech Republic has achieved a more significant decrease in emissions from forests and soil caused by human activities. While the Czech Republic was the worst performer in this indicator across the EU in all previous years, this year it improved to 22nd place.
“Between 2021 and 2022, the value dropped from 8,358 to 3,378 thousand tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions. Forests and land are thus less of a burden on the environment in our country than in Ireland, Germany, Finland, Latvia and the Netherlands,” noted Europe in Data analyst Hana Vincourova.
Regarding sector-specific emissions, the Czech Republic performs particularly well in transport and storage. According to Eurostat, it is the third best in the EU in this sector, with just under 1,287 kilograms of emissions per person. Only Romania and Slovakia produce less greenhouse gas per capita in this area.
By contrast, the negative trend persists for industrial emissions. Despite gradually declining levels of pollutants emitted, the Czech Republic is ranked 19th this year, confirming its long-standing poor performance in this sector.
As in the previous year, emissions from household heating remain a problem in the Czech Republic. Although they have fallen year-on-year from 836 to slightly under 744 kilos of greenhouse gases per person, there are 21 EU member states producing less emissions per capita from heating.
However, the number of deaths caused by air pollution is falling in the Czech Republic. In 2021, 81 per 100,000 inhabitants died as a result of poor air quality; in 2022, this number dropped to 65. As a result, the Czech Republic improved its ranking from 20th to 18th in the EU.
While in 1999 the socio-economic cost of air pollution in the Czech Republic was more than 13% of gross domestic product (GDP), the latest available data show that it is now 6% of GDP. “Despite this improvement, we are still one of the countries with the highest air pollution-related costs,” added Ceska Sporitelna analyst Tereza Hrtusova.
The proportion of dry land in the Czech Republic was the 11th best in the EU in 2023. According to the EEA, drought affected only 0.27% of the land. “Of course, the incidence of drought varies considerably from year to year, and 2023 was simply less dry in Europe,” noted Jan Danhelka, director of hydrology at the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute.
In the Czech Republic, less than one-fifth of the energy produced comes from renewable sources, according to Eurostat. Year-on-year, this share increased by less than 0.5 percentage points to 18.59%, which brought the Czech Republic to 19th place.
The Prosperity Index measures and analyses the prosperity of the Czech Republic and compares it with other European countries. The Index not only looks at prosperity as a set of economic indicators, but also measures it in terms of quality of life, using indicators such as social cohesion, population health, quality of education, safety, housing availability and business conditions.
