Air quality in the Macedonian capital Skopje was not in the “green zone”, as measured by Greenpeace and AirVisual, for a single month in 2018. There was noticeable worsening of the situation in 2018 as compared to 2017.

In January, air quality in Skopje was in the unsafe zone, and in November and December it was considered unsafe for vulnerable categories. During all other months of 2018, air quality was seen as “tolerable” but not in the “green zone”.

During the peak winter months, the capital of Macedonia was often worst placed in the world in air quality, with alarming results caused by the burning of wood or solid waste for heating. Other Macedonian cities, which have even less access to cleaner heating technologies like Bitola, Kumanovo and Tetovo, were ranked even worse than Skopje.