Air quality
Air quality in Basrah today
Updated
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (US AQI 121) People with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teens should cut back on prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors. Model estimate for Mon, Oct 26, 11:26 pm (20:26 UTC).
Live AQI, PM2.5, PM10 and ozone for Basrah, Basra, Iraq, with a 48-hour forecast and the best time to be outside.
- US AQI now
- 121 Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups
- PM2.5
- 99 µg/m³ 6.6× WHO 24-h guideline
- PM10
- 148 µg/m³
- Ozone
- 1 µg/m³
Air quality in Basrah right now
Right now the modelled US Air Quality Index for Basrah, Basra, Iraq is 121, which falls in the "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" band (up to 150). People with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teens should cut back on prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors.
PM2.5 is 99 µg/m³, 6.6 times the WHO 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³; PM10 is 148 µg/m³ against a guideline of 45; ozone is 1 µg/m³ (below the WHO 8-hour level of 100); nitrogen dioxide is 99 µg/m³ (above the 24-hour guideline of 25).
Basrah vs the rest of Iraq
Across 20 Iraq cities we track, the average US AQI right now is 81 (Moderate). Basrah at 121 is 40 points worse than average.
It ranks 19 of 20 from cleanest to most polluted; the cleanest is Nasiriyah (66) and the most polluted Az Zubayr (121).
For context, the median across 2,513 cities worldwide is 64.
Air quality in cities near Basrah
| City | Distance | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abū al-Kahṣīb | 12 km | 78 | Moderate | 46 |
| Az Zubayr | 15 km | 121 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 98.5 |
| Khorramshahr | 39 km | 78 | Moderate | 46 |
| Ahvaz | 125 km | 89 | Moderate | 50.1 |
| Nasiriyah | 158 km | 66 | Moderate | 26.5 |
| Al ‘Amārah | 159 km | 72 | Moderate | 34.7 |
| Al Aḩmadī | 162 km | 151 | Unhealthy | 49.5 |
| Khorramabad | 336 km | 47 | Good | 15.4 |
Model vs measured
We found no measured PM2.5 sensor cell within 25 km of Basrah, so the numbers on this page are model estimates. Models capture regional pollution well but can miss very local sources such as a busy road or a nearby fire.
Wildfire smoke
PM2.5 is forecast to reach 99 µg/m³ in the next 24 hours while NASA satellites detected 1306 fire hotspots within 300 km in the last day (nearest about 5 km away). Smoke is a likely contributor: keep windows closed, run an air purifier or HVAC filter, and check the fire map before heading out.
Advice for sensitive groups
At 121, children, older adults, pregnant people and anyone with asthma, COPD or heart disease should limit time outdoors, especially strenuous activity. A well-fitted N95/FFP2 mask cuts particle exposure; it does not filter ozone.
What the US AQI numbers mean
| US AQI | Category | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 0-50 | Good | Air quality is satisfactory and poses little or no risk; a good time for outdoor activity. |
| 51-100 | Moderate | Acceptable for most people. Unusually sensitive people should consider shortening long or heavy exertion outdoors. |
| 101-150 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | People with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teens should cut back on prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors. |
| 151-200 | Unhealthy | Everyone should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors; sensitive groups should avoid it and keep windows closed. |
| 201-300 | Very Unhealthy | Health alert: everyone should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors, and sensitive groups should stay indoors. |
| 301-500 | Hazardous | Emergency conditions: everyone should avoid all outdoor physical activity and stay indoors with filtered air if possible. The scale tops out at 500; heavier dust or smoke is shown as 500. |
Values on this page are modelled by CAMS (Copernicus) and served by Open-Meteo; they are estimates for the area around the city centre, not readings from an official monitor.
Nearby cities
More for Basrah
Air quality elsewhere
Data: Open-Meteo Air Quality API, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), NASA FIRMS.