Air quality comparison · Iraq, 448 km apart
Baghdad vs Basrah Air quality index (AQI) today
Basrah has cleaner air than Baghdad right now: AQI 53 (Moderate) against 101 (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, Baghdad averaged AQI 86 against 147, and it was the cleaner of the two on 7 of those days. Baghdad has more tree cover.
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Baghdad101Basrah53
Head to head
Baghdad vs Basrah at a glance
Basrah is ahead on 3 of 5 measures, and Baghdad on 2. The better figure in each row is marked.
| Baghdad | Basrah | |
|---|---|---|
| Air quality nowUS AQI. Lower is better. | 101 | 53 (better) |
| PM2.5Fine particles, µg/m³. | 35.6 | 8.9 (better) |
| Past week's averageUS AQI, 7 days. | 86 (better) | 147 |
| Tree coverWithin 2 km of the center. | 2.3% (better) | 0.1% |
| Trees still neededTo reach a healthy canopy. | 97.5K | 93.9K (better) |
Air quality today
What is the air like in Baghdad and Basrah right now?
Basrah has cleaner air than Baghdad right now: AQI 53 (Moderate) against 101 (Unhealthy for sensitive groups). PM2.5 is setting the index in both.
Baghdad's PM2.5 is about 2.4× the WHO's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³.
Baghdad is read from a nearby ground station and Basrah is a model estimate, so the two are not quite like for like.
BaghdadBasrah
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).
Baghdad: Ground station · Hydro-C Demo, 3 km away. Data: OpenAQ · Clarity.
Basrah: Estimate · model corrected with 3 station cities within 145 km, e.g. Kuwait City and Al Jahra. Data: Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 3 ground-station cities within 145 km, US EPA index.
The past week
Which had cleaner air over the past 7 days?
But over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Baghdad averaged AQI 86 against 147, 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
- Baghdad7Basrah0
- Average AQI
- Baghdad86Basrah147
- Worst day, AQI
- Baghdad118Basrah229
The daily numbers (7 days)
| Day | Baghdad | Basrah |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 5 | 99 | 146 |
| Nov 6 | 113 | 147 |
| Nov 7 | 118 | 229 |
| Nov 8 | 103 | 138 |
| Nov 9 | 52 | 103 |
| Nov 10 | 58 | 147 |
| Nov 11 | 61 | 116 |
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 Baghdad and Basrah today?
Baghdad (AQI 101, Unhealthy for sensitive groups): Sensitive groups should limit long or intense outdoor activity.
Basrah (AQI 53, Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Exercise outdoors
- Baghdad
- Children, older adults and people with asthma or heart disease should cut down long or hard exercise.
- Basrah
- Fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier.
Windows
- Baghdad
- Close them to keep the outside air out.
- Basrah
- Fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution.
Masks
- Baghdad
- Sensitive groups: an N95 outdoors.
- Basrah
- Not needed for most people.
Air purifier
- Baghdad
- Run one, especially in bedrooms.
- Basrah
- Worth running if you are sensitive.
Against everywhere else
How do Baghdad and Basrah compare with the rest of the world?
Right now Baghdad's air is cleaner than 22% of the 5,420 places Airleaf tracks, and Basrah's is cleaner than 57%. Within Iraq, that is 19% and 81% of its 49 measured places.
Cleaner air than…
- Baghdad
- Beats 22%
- Basrah
- Beats 57%
More tree cover than…
- Baghdad
- Beats 5%
- Basrah
- Beats 0%
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.
Baghdad
2018: satellite photo from September 2018 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
Basrah
2017: satellite photo from August 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
Trees
Which has more trees, Baghdad or Basrah?
Baghdad has more tree cover: 2.3% of the land within 2 km of its center against 0.1% around Basrah, or about 6,857 trees against 314.
The dark mark is each place's canopy target: 30% of the land, raised where air quality is poor.
| Baghdad | Basrah | |
|---|---|---|
| Trees standingEstimated from the canopy area. | 6.9K (better) | 314 |
| Trees still neededTo reach the target. Fewer is better. | 97.5K | 93.9K (better) |
| CO₂ absorbed each yearBy the trees already standing. | 151K kg (better) | 6.9K 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
Baghdad vs Basrah: your questions answered
Is Basrah cleaner than Baghdad?
On air quality, yes, right now: Basrah reads AQI 53 against 101, a gap of 48 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, Baghdad averaged AQI 86 against 147, and it was the cleaner of the two on 7 of those days.
Is it safe to exercise outdoors in Baghdad and Basrah today?
In Baghdad, at AQI 101: Sensitive groups should limit long or intense outdoor activity. In Basrah, at AQI 53: Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Which has more trees, Baghdad or Basrah?
Baghdad has more tree cover: 2.3% of the land within 2 km of its center against 0.1% around Basrah, or about 6,857 trees against 314. Both figures describe the same-sized circle of ground around each center, not the whole municipality.
How many more trees do Baghdad and Basrah need?
Baghdad needs about 97,491 more to reach its canopy target of 35%, and Basrah about 93,934 to reach 30%. The target starts at 30% of the land and rises where air quality is poor.
Are Baghdad and Basrah 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. Baghdad is read from a nearby ground station and Basrah is a model estimate, so the two are not quite like for like. Nothing is adjusted for population, city limits or climate.
How often does the Baghdad vs Basrah 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 Sep 16, 2026), and the forest figures are published yearly.
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