Air quality
Air quality in Pyongyang today
Updated
Moderate (US AQI 73) Acceptable for most people. Unusually sensitive people should consider shortening long or heavy exertion outdoors. Model estimate for Mon, Oct 26, 7:44 am (22:44 UTC).
Live AQI, PM2.5, PM10 and ozone for Pyongyang, North Korea, with a 48-hour forecast and the best time to be outside.
- US AQI now
- 73 Moderate
- PM2.5
- 9.7 µg/m³ 0.6× WHO 24-h guideline
- PM10
- 13 µg/m³
- Ozone
- 51 µg/m³
Air quality in Pyongyang right now
Right now the modelled US Air Quality Index for Pyongyang, North Korea is 73, 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 9.7 µg/m³, within the WHO 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³; PM10 is 13 µg/m³ against a guideline of 45; ozone is 51 µg/m³ (below the WHO 8-hour level of 100); nitrogen dioxide is 3.9 µg/m³ (below the 24-hour guideline of 25).
NASA FIRMS shows 18 fire hotspots within 300 km in the last day (nearest about 51 km), but particle levels are not elevated enough to point to smoke right now.
Pyongyang vs the rest of North Korea
Across 12 North Korea cities we track, the average US AQI right now is 64 (Moderate). Pyongyang at 73 is 9 points worse than average.
It ranks 9 of 12 from cleanest to most polluted; the cleanest is Chongjin (53) and the most polluted Namp’o (75).
For context, the median across 3,556 cities worldwide is 58.
Air quality in cities near Pyongyang
| City | Distance | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Man’gyŏngdae-ri | 9 km | 73 | Moderate | 9.7 |
| Namp’o | 45 km | 75 | Moderate | 9.7 |
| Sunch’ŏn | 47 km | 62 | Moderate | 12.6 |
| Sariwŏn-si | 59 km | 74 | Moderate | 8.7 |
| Kaech’ŏn | 75 km | 62 | Moderate | 12.6 |
| Kaesŏng | 137 km | 61 | Moderate | 8.4 |
| Wŏnsan | 146 km | 58 | Moderate | 11.8 |
| Sinŭiju | 166 km | 56 | Moderate | 17.3 |
Model vs measured
We found no measured PM2.5 sensor cell within 25 km of Pyongyang, 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.
Advice for sensitive groups
At 73, 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 Pyongyang
Air quality elsewhere
Data: Open-Meteo Air Quality API, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), NASA FIRMS.