Relationships between the share of residents born outside the EU and the share of area exposed to high noise levels across 1 km × 1 km grid cells in EU urban centres, by country

Units

% area ≥65dB per place of birth share quintiles

Methodology

Data sources
This analysis combines road traffic noise data with demographic and socioeconomic information at 1 km × 1 km grid-cell level across European urban centres to explore whether areas affected by high levels of environmental noise are associated with particular population characteristics.
Road traffic noise data were obtained from the strategic noise maps reported by EU Member States under the Environmental Noise Directive (END) for the year 2021. For each grid cell, the proportion of area exposed to road traffic noise levels of at least 65 dB L_den (day-evening-night equivalent sound level) was calculated.
These data were combined with population information from Eurostat's European demographic grid dataset, which is based on the 2021 national population censuses and provided at a spatial resolution of 1 km × 1 km.
Values are expressed as the proportion of the total population within each 1 km × 1 km grid cell.
While indicators such as household income may provide a more direct measure of socioeconomic disadvantage, harmonised data at this spatial resolution are currently not available across Europe.

Spatial coverage and data availability
Urban centres were defined using the harmonised city delineations developed by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) and the Joint Research Centre (JRC). These boundaries provide a consistent framework for comparing urban areas across Europe.
Only grid cells located within urban centres and for which both noise and demographic data were available were included in the analysis.

Interpretation and limitations
The analysis identifies spatial patterns between road traffic noise and population characteristics. It does not measure individual noise exposure, individual socioeconomic data, or personal demographic characteristics.
Consequently, the results should not be interpreted as evidence that individuals belonging to a particular population group experience higher personal noise exposure. Rather, they highlight locations where elevated noise levels and specific population characteristics coexist, helping to identify potential environmental inequalities that may warrant further investigation.