Air quality
Air quality in Johannesburg today
Updated
Moderate (US AQI 80) Acceptable for most people. Unusually sensitive people should consider shortening long or heavy exertion outdoors. Model estimate for Mon, Oct 26, 12:08 am (22:08 UTC).
Live AQI, PM2.5, PM10 and ozone for Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa, with a 48-hour forecast and the best time to be outside.
- US AQI now
- 80 Moderate
- PM2.5
- 46 µg/m³ 3.1× WHO 24-h guideline
- PM10
- 48 µg/m³
- Ozone
- 40 µg/m³
Air quality in Johannesburg right now
Right now the modelled US Air Quality Index for Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa is 80, which falls in the "Moderate" band (up to 100). Acceptable for most people. Unusually sensitive people should consider shortening long or heavy exertion outdoors.
PM2.5 is 46 µg/m³, 3.1 times the WHO 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³; PM10 is 48 µg/m³ against a guideline of 45; ozone is 40 µg/m³ (below the WHO 8-hour level of 100); nitrogen dioxide is 41 µg/m³ (above the 24-hour guideline of 25).
Johannesburg vs the rest of South Africa
Across 50 South Africa cities we track, the average US AQI right now is 59 (Moderate). Johannesburg at 80 is 21 points worse than average.
It ranks 44 of 50 from cleanest to most polluted; the cleanest is Paarl (30) and the most polluted Alberton (80).
For context, the median across 3,909 cities worldwide is 57.
Air quality in cities near Johannesburg
| City | Distance | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alberton | 11 km | 80 | Moderate | 46.4 |
| Germiston | 12 km | 72 | Moderate | 27.8 |
| Randburg | 13 km | 68 | Moderate | 31.9 |
| Roodepoort | 18 km | 80 | Moderate | 46.4 |
| Tokoza | 19 km | 72 | Moderate | 27.8 |
| Soweto | 20 km | 80 | Moderate | 46.4 |
| Boksburg | 22 km | 72 | Moderate | 27.8 |
| Benoni | 28 km | 72 | Moderate | 27.8 |
Model vs measured
We found no measured PM2.5 sensor cell within 25 km of Johannesburg, 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 46 µg/m³ in the next 24 hours while NASA satellites detected 632 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 80, most people are fine outdoors. If you are unusually sensitive to air pollution, keep long or intense workouts to the cleaner hours shown above.
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 Johannesburg
Air quality elsewhere
Data: Open-Meteo Air Quality API, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), NASA FIRMS.