Air quality comparison · United Arab Emirates, 129 km apart
Abu Dhabi vs Dubai Air quality index (AQI) today
Dubai has cleaner air than Abu Dhabi right now: AQI 16 (Good) against 112 (Unhealthy for sensitive groups).
That puts them in different EPA bands, so the health advice differs today. But over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Abu Dhabi averaged AQI 88 against 115, and it was the cleaner of the two on 7 of those days. Abu Dhabi has more tree cover.
United Arab Emirates
AQI 112
Unhealthy for sensitive groups
Cleaner right now
- PM2.5
- 34.6 µg/m³2.3× WHO guideline
- Main pollutant
- PM10
- Source
- Ground station
- Reading
- Nov 11, 19:00 local
United Arab Emirates
AQI 16
Good
Cleaner right now
- PM2.5
- 2.8 µg/m³
- Main pollutant
- PM2.5
- Source
- Ground station
- Reading
- Nov 11, 22:00 local
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Abu Dhabi112Dubai16
Head to head
Abu Dhabi vs Dubai at a glance
Abu Dhabi is ahead on 3 of 5 measures, and Dubai on 2. The better figure in each row is marked.
| Abu Dhabi | Dubai | |
|---|---|---|
| Air quality nowUS AQI. Lower is better. | 112 | 16 (better) |
| PM2.5Fine particles, µg/m³. | 34.6 | 2.8 (better) |
| Past week's averageUS AQI, 7 days. | 88 (better) | 115 |
| Tree coverWithin 2 km of the center. | 14.1% (better) | 3.2% |
| Trees still neededTo reach a healthy canopy. | 64.6K (better) | 74.0K |
Air quality today
What is the air like in Abu Dhabi and Dubai right now?
Dubai has cleaner air than Abu Dhabi right now: AQI 16 (Good) against 112 (Unhealthy for sensitive groups). PM10 is setting the index in Abu Dhabi, and PM2.5 in Dubai.
Abu Dhabi's PM2.5 is about 2.3× the WHO's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³.
Both readings come from nearby ground stations.
Abu DhabiDubai
Concentrations at the same moment as the index above, for the pollutants both places report. Lower is better. The dark marks on the PM2.5 and PM10 rows show the WHO's 24-hour guidelines (15 and 45 µg/m³).
Abu Dhabi: Ground station · Abu Dhabi City/Kalifah High School, UAE, 2.6 km away · median of 2 stations. Data: World Air Quality Index Project, AED - Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi ( هيئة البيئة - أبو ظبي).
Dubai: Ground station · Business Bay, 11.5 km away · median of 2 stations. Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, batmam, Charlie.
The past week
Which had cleaner air over the past 7 days?
But over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Abu Dhabi averaged AQI 88 against 115, and it was the cleaner of the two on 7 of those days. A single reading can catch a city on a bad afternoon; the week says whether it was the weather or the place.
- Cleaner days
- Abu Dhabi7Dubai0
- Average AQI
- Abu Dhabi88Dubai115
- Worst day, AQI
- Abu Dhabi102Dubai142
The daily numbers (7 days)
| Day | Abu Dhabi | Dubai |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 5 | 102 | 129 |
| Nov 6 | 95 | 142 |
| Nov 7 | 98 | 126 |
| Nov 8 | 82 | 112 |
| Nov 9 | 80 | 112 |
| Nov 10 | 87 | 106 |
| Nov 11 | 73 | 79 |
Daily averages from the CAMS atmospheric model for both places, so the week compares like with like. They can differ from today's reading at the top of the page wherever that comes from a ground station.
What it means today
Is it safe to go outside in Abu Dhabi and Dubai today?
Abu Dhabi (AQI 112, Unhealthy for sensitive groups): Sensitive groups should limit long or intense outdoor activity.
Dubai (AQI 16, Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Exercise outdoors
- Abu Dhabi
- Children, older adults and people with asthma or heart disease should cut down long or hard exercise.
- Dubai
- A good day to be active outside.
Windows
- Abu Dhabi
- Close them to keep the outside air out.
- Dubai
- Open them to air the house.
Masks
- Abu Dhabi
- Sensitive groups: an N95 outdoors.
- Dubai
- Not needed.
Air purifier
- Abu Dhabi
- Run one, especially in bedrooms.
- Dubai
- Not needed.
Against everywhere else
How do Abu Dhabi and Dubai compare with the rest of the world?
Right now Abu Dhabi's air is cleaner than 18% of the 5,420 places Airleaf tracks, and Dubai's is cleaner than 92%. Within United Arab Emirates, that is 11% and 67% of its 10 measured places.
Cleaner air than…
- Abu Dhabi
- Beats 18%
- Dubai
- Beats 92%
More tree cover than…
- Abu Dhabi
- Beats 32%
- Dubai
- Beats 6%
Includes model estimates as well as station readings, so it can differ from our most polluted and cleanest air rankings, which use station readings only.
Satellite timelapses
Watch both change, year by year
A clear satellite photo a year of the land around each city. Press play, turn on the forest cleared since the first year, or drag the before and after.
Abu Dhabi
2018: satellite photo from September 2018 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
Dubai
2017: satellite photo from October 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
Trees
Which has more trees, Abu Dhabi or Dubai?
Abu Dhabi has more tree cover: 14.1% of the land within 2 km of its center against 3.2% around Dubai, or about 43,588 trees against 8,837.
The dark mark is each place's canopy target: 30% of the land, raised where air quality is poor.
| Abu Dhabi | Dubai | |
|---|---|---|
| Trees standingEstimated from the canopy area. | 43.6K (better) | 8.8K |
| Trees still neededTo reach the target. Fewer is better. | 64.6K (better) | 74.0K |
| CO₂ absorbed each yearBy the trees already standing. | 959K kg (better) | 194K kg |
Tree cover on the satellite image
The same 2 km radius around each center, with the tree cover the satellite found marked on it.
Reading these numbers
How this comparison is made
Air quality index
The US EPA index, computed from current pollutant concentrations: ground stations where a place has them nearby, and the CAMS atmospheric model everywhere else. It moves hour to hour, so it is a snapshot rather than a verdict on either place. The guideline marks are from the WHO's 2021 air quality guidelines.
Trees and forest
Tree cover is the share of ground under canopy within 2 km of each center, read from Sentinel-2 satellite imagery at 10 m detail. It measures that circle, not the whole municipality, which is what makes the two comparable. Forest loss comes from the University of Maryland's Global Forest Change maps.
More on the method on the About Airleaf page.
Frequently asked
Abu Dhabi vs Dubai: your questions answered
Is Dubai cleaner than Abu Dhabi?
On air quality, yes, right now: Dubai reads AQI 16 against 112, a gap of 96 points on the US EPA index. This is a live reading rather than an annual average, so it can reverse within a day. But over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Abu Dhabi averaged AQI 88 against 115, and it was the cleaner of the two on 7 of those days.
Is it safe to exercise outdoors in Abu Dhabi and Dubai today?
In Abu Dhabi, at AQI 112: Sensitive groups should limit long or intense outdoor activity. In Dubai, at AQI 16: Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Which has more trees, Abu Dhabi or Dubai?
Abu Dhabi has more tree cover: 14.1% of the land within 2 km of its center against 3.2% around Dubai, or about 43,588 trees against 8,837. Both figures describe the same-sized circle of ground around each center, not the whole municipality.
How many more trees do Abu Dhabi and Dubai need?
Abu Dhabi needs about 64,609 more to reach its canopy target of 35%, and Dubai about 74,007 to reach 30%. The target starts at 30% of the land and rises where air quality is poor.
Are Abu Dhabi and Dubai measured the same way?
The method is the same: the US EPA index for air, and Sentinel-2 satellite imagery at 10 m detail over an identical radius for trees. Both readings come from nearby ground stations. Nothing is adjusted for population, city limits or climate.
How often does the Abu Dhabi vs Dubai comparison update?
The air readings refresh about once an hour, and each reading's local time is shown at the top of the page. Tree cover comes from the latest clear satellite image of each area (Sep 19, 2026 and Oct 19, 2026), and the forest figures are published yearly.
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