Ranking all 27 EU capitals by satellite-measured vegetation - Summer 2025
We analyzed satellite imagery from Sentinel-2 to measure vegetation coverage in all 27 EU capital cities.
The results challenge common assumptions about which regions lead in urban green.
Spoiler: it's not the Nordic countries.
Percentage of city area with vegetation (NDVI > 0.4)
Three-quarters of Slovenia's capital is covered in vegetation - forests surround a compact urban core, making it Europe's greenest capital by far.
The top 5 capitals are all from Central and Eastern Europe: Ljubljana, Zagreb, Vilnius, Sofia, and Bratislava. Nordic capitals like Stockholm and Copenhagen rank 14th and 20th respectively.
Why? City boundaries vary widely - Ljubljana's includes surrounding forests, while Athens covers only the dense urban core. What counts as "the city" matters as much as urban planning choices.
Southern European capitals average 6 times less vegetation than their Northern and Central counterparts. Hot, dry summers, rocky terrain, and water scarcity make greening Mediterranean cities a challenge.
Climate matters, but it's not everything. Berlin (50% green) proves that large, dense capitals can maintain extensive vegetation. The data shows what's possible - and where investment in urban green is needed most.
