CONTEXT: Reducing pesticide risk in agriculture is a key policy objective within the European Union, yet comprehensive spatial assessments of such risks have been limited by data availability.OBJECTIVE: This study aims to quantify and map pesticide risk across EU regions and to assess the relative contribution of environmental conditions, agricultural land use, and agricultural management practices to spatial variation in pesticide risk.METHODS: We use pesticide use data to quantify potential pesticide risk for the environment and human health through the Pesticide Load Index. We then map pesticide risk across 214 EU NUTS2 regions and analyze the contribution of environmental, land-use, and management-related drivers to spatial variation in risk.RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Pesticide risk is highly heterogeneous across Europe, with clear hotspots in Southern and Southeastern regions, particularly in Greece, Portugal, Italy, and Spain. Agricultural land use is the most important factor explaining variation in pesticide risk, followed by management practices such as organic farming and regenerative practices. Management factors play a relatively larger role in Southern regions compared to Northern regions. Overall, results highlight the strong structural role of land use in shaping pesticide risk patterns.SIGNIFICANCE: The findings highlight the need for targeted monitoring and regulatory action and demonstrate the importance of land-use– and management-oriented policies for addressing pesticide risk across Europe.