Data crunchers have identified which countries are the most environmentally friendly to travel in Europe. The Netherlands is the clear winner.
The Netherlands has been ranked the greenest country in Europe to travel around – and it’s got nothing to do with its love of bikes.
This research is notoriously complicated. But data analysts at HelioxClean energy company,, was chosen to undertake the task. They assessed European countries on several metrics, including accessibility to public transport; green transportation options; electric vehicle adoption; EV charging infrastructure and economic incentives for sustainable mobility.
Heliox said that the Netherlands was leading the charge. Researchers praised its public transport network, electric vehicle rollout and EV charging infrastructure, including the world’s largest bus charging depot at Schiphol Airport. The fact that Heliox is a Dutch business did not affect the results, as the firm assured us.
The tiny Luxembourg came in second, with its free public transport and rapid EV charging. These factors appear to have outweighed the fact Luxembourg has one of Europe’s most ambitious plans to eliminate fossil fuels. This highlights a potential flaw in the research, as phasing out fossil fuels is one of the most important solutions to the climate crisis.
Sweden ranked third. Sweden scored highly for public transport, and is said to have the second most ambitious plan to decarbonize its energy network after the UK. Why did the UK rank tenth in this ranking?
Heliox claimed that the score was weakened by poor access and green public transport options, a scarcity of EV charging networks, and a lack financial incentives to encourage people buying zero-emission vehicles.
The Dutch did well in EV charging infrastructure. Image: Michael Fousert
The 20 most environmentally friendly countries in EuropeAccording to Heliox
- Netherlands
- Luxembourg
- Sweden
- Germany
- Estonia
- Belgium
- France
- Slovenia
- Austria
- United Kingdom
- Italy
- Lithuania
- Spain
- Denmark
- Hungary
- Poland
- Greece
- Ireland
- Finland
- Romania
Heliox isn’t the first firm to score European countries on their eco credentials. Nimble Fins, an international financial company, publishes an annually ranked list of the greenest countries in Europe.
Its analysts gather data from Eurostat and the European Environment Agency, as well as statistics on freshwater quality, air quality, and waste management.
How does it work? the 2020 Nimble Fins rankingCompare to the Heliox study One consistent is Sweden, which topped its table and came second in Heliox’s assessment. Both top tens were also populated by Slovenia and Austria.
However, in sharp contrast to the Heliox research, Nimble Fins ranked Luxembourg and the Netherlands as among the least green nations in Europe overall, placing them 22nd and 25th respectively.
Nimble Fins ranked Sweden as the greenest country of Europe. Image: Jessica Pamp
According to Nimble Fins: The 20 greenest nations in Europe
- Sweden
- Norway
- Iceland
- Portugal
- Finland
- Austria
- Croatia
- Slovenia
- Ireland
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- United Kingdom
- Estonia
- Italy
- France
- Spain
- Denmark
- Romania
- Greece
- Bulgaria
Main image: Adrien Olichon
