The UK’s 40 largest cities achieved a net gain of 390,000 m² of green space between 2023 and 2024, the equivalent of 55 football pitches, positioning the UK as the biggest net gain of green space, compared to the rest of Europe.
The findings are part of the Husqvarna, a global leader in robotic lawn care, Urban Green Space Insights (HUGSI) Report 2025, quantifying urban green space in cities globally using AI and satellite data.
The report looked at the top 40 UK cities individually and awarded them a Green Index score based on coverage percentage of high-quality vegetation within the populated parts of the city. The score then gives each city a relative position as greener or less green than others.
According to the UK data, Reading emerged as the ‘UK’s greenest city’, with a Green Index score of 72 – making it the 19th greenest city in the world, with Wuppertal, Germany, revealed as the greenest city in the world.
On the other end of the scale, Blackpool was named the least green town in the UK, with a Green Index score of 24. Blackpool’s score was largely determined by its minimal amount of tree cover, with only 8% of tree canopy cover across the town.
Greenest Cities in the UK
Reading (72)
Milton Keynes (71)
Swansea (69)
Sheffield (68)
Least Green Cities in the UK
Blackpool (24)
Portsmouth (31)
Southend-on-Sea (41)
Dudley (41)
Source: Husqvarna Urban Green Space Insights Global Report, 2025
When looking at the net change in urban greenery per city, it was revealed that Sunderland and Newcastle had the highest increase in green space between 2023 and 2024, with 843,200m2 and 704,600m2 respectively.
Leeds and Coventry were revealed to have the largest decrease in green space, with a negative net loss of 373,100m2 and 178,300m2 respectively.
Erik Swan, Director Digital Business Exploration, Husqvarna comments: ”Our report champions the success stories of urban green spaces, but it also sets a challenge to ensure efforts do not fall in other parts of the world. For many, well maintained green spaces in cities are integral to wellbeing and fitness, and we all have a role to play in protecting these spaces for everyone.”
Alexander Summers, Curator of Living Collections at Kew Gardens and partner of Husqvarna comments: ”As a 320-acre botanic garden in London, we recognise the important role of green spaces in cities for people, nature and the wider environment. Our scientists and horticulturists are undertaking research into the most effective ways to conduct urban greening and enhance existing greenspace. This is particularly important as we face the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change.’’
More details on the methodology and results can be found in the report here.
Whilst the UK comes in just below the European average share for urban green spaces, sitting at 44% compared to 47% for Europe, nearly half of UK urban spaces are covered by some form of vegetation. The index also takes into account the quality of the green spaces, with tree cover scoring higher than grass, due to the additional environment benefits it provides.
Since 2019, Husqvarna Group’s HUGSI (Husqvarna Urban Green Space Insights) has provided critical data on urban green space development.
HUGSI’s tools are used in international research and as a basis for decision-making by cities around the world to plan green spaces in the cities. A total of 516 cities in 80 countries across six continents have been analyzed, giving important insights on how the cities’ green spaces have developed over the past years.
