Air quality
Air quality in Dhaka today
Updated
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (US AQI 120) 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, 12:00 am (18:00 UTC).
Live AQI, PM2.5, PM10 and ozone for Dhaka, Dhaka Division, Bangladesh, with a 48-hour forecast and the best time to be outside.
- US AQI now
- 120 Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups
- PM2.5
- 49 µg/m³ 3.3× WHO 24-h guideline
- PM10
- 52 µg/m³
- Ozone
- 64 µg/m³
- Dominant pollutant
- PM2.5 sub-index 120
- Best hour today
- 6:00 am AQI 120
- European AQI
- 59
Air quality in Dhaka right now
Right now the modelled US Air Quality Index for Dhaka, Dhaka Division, Bangladesh is 120, 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.
The index is driven mainly by PM2.5, whose own sub-index is 120. Fine and coarse particles come from traffic, heating, industry, dust and smoke; they build up on calm nights and clear when wind or rain arrives.
PM2.5 is 49 µg/m³, 3.3 times the WHO 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³; PM10 is 52 µg/m³ against a guideline of 45; ozone is 64 µg/m³ (below the WHO 8-hour level of 100); nitrogen dioxide is 32 µg/m³ (above the 24-hour guideline of 25).
Also this hour: carbon monoxide 969 µg/m³.
Dhaka AQI forecast: next 48 hours
Over the next 24 hours the AQI is forecast to range from 119 around Mon 2:00 am to 214 around Mon 6:00 pm, from "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" at best to "Very Unhealthy" at worst.
The following day is expected to be worse, averaging about 180 against 148 for the next 24 hours.
| Local time (Asia/Dhaka) | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ | PM10 µg/m³ | Ozone µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 12:00 am | 120 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 49.1 | 52 | 64 |
| Mon 3:00 am | 119 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 44.8 | 46 | 59 |
| Mon 6:00 am | 120 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 49.5 | 50 | 38 |
| Mon 9:00 am | 125 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 51.5 | 53 | 137 |
| Mon 12:00 pm | 131 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 40.3 | 43 | 261 |
| Mon 3:00 pm | 179 | Unhealthy | 34.3 | 36 | 257 |
| Mon 6:00 pm | 214 | Very Unhealthy | 67.3 | 69 | 120 |
| Mon 9:00 pm | 169 | Unhealthy | 143.4 | 145 | 36 |
| Tue 12:00 am | 157 | Unhealthy | 149.5 | 150 | 22 |
| Tue 3:00 am | 164 | Unhealthy | 105.7 | 107 | 22 |
| Tue 6:00 am | 170 | Unhealthy | 113.9 | 116 | 7 |
| Tue 9:00 am | 175 | Unhealthy | 61.9 | 63 | 170 |
| Tue 12:00 pm | 175 | Unhealthy | 35 | 36 | 258 |
| Tue 3:00 pm | 192 | Unhealthy | 34.7 | 35 | 274 |
| Tue 6:00 pm | 220 | Very Unhealthy | 71 | 72 | 127 |
| Tue 9:00 pm | 190 | Unhealthy | 45.2 | 45 | 104 |
| Wed 12:00 am | 161 | Unhealthy | 25.1 | 25 | 76 |
Every third hour of the CAMS forecast via Open-Meteo. US AQI uses rolling averages (24 h for particles, 8 h for ozone), so it moves more slowly than the hourly concentrations.
Best time to be outside in Dhaka today
Between 6 am and 9 pm local time, the cleanest air today is forecast around 6:00 am (AQI 120, Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups) and the worst around 6:00 pm (AQI 214). That is a swing of 94 points, so a run or walk around 6:00 am is noticeably better.
Dhaka vs the rest of Bangladesh
Across 26 Bangladesh cities we track, the average US AQI right now is 123 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups). Dhaka at 120 is about average.
It ranks 12 of 26 from cleanest to most polluted; the cleanest is Chattogram (105) and the most polluted Comilla (150).
For context, the median across 3,909 cities worldwide is 57.
Air quality in cities near Dhaka
| City | Distance | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Motijheel | 2 km | 120 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 49.1 |
| Paltan | 3 km | 120 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 49.1 |
| Gulshan | 9 km | 120 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 49.1 |
| Kafrul | 9 km | 113 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 61.9 |
| Bhatara | 11 km | 120 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 49.1 |
| Tungi | 20 km | 113 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 61.9 |
| Savar | 22 km | 113 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 61.9 |
| Sonārgaon | 22 km | 120 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 49.1 |
Model vs measured
We found no measured PM2.5 sensor cell within 25 km of Dhaka, 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 161 µg/m³ in the next 24 hours while NASA satellites detected 21 fire hotspots within 300 km in the last day (nearest about 13 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 120, 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 Dhaka
Air quality elsewhere
Data: Open-Meteo Air Quality API, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), NASA FIRMS.