Air quality comparison · China, 1068 km apart
Beijing vs Shanghai Air quality index (AQI) today
Shanghai has cleaner air than Beijing right now: AQI 87 (Moderate) against 171 (Unhealthy).
That puts them in different EPA bands, so the health advice differs today. Over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Shanghai averaged AQI 108 against 176, and it was the cleaner of the two on 7 of those days. Shanghai has more tree cover.
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Beijing171Shanghai87
Head to head
Beijing vs Shanghai at a glance
Shanghai is ahead on 5 of 5 measures, and Beijing on 0. The better figure in each row is marked.
| Beijing | Shanghai | |
|---|---|---|
| Air quality nowUS AQI. Lower is better. | 171 | 87 (better) |
| PM2.5Fine particles, µg/m³. | 84.6 | 28.3 (better) |
| Past week's averageUS AQI, 7 days. | 176 | 108 (better) |
| Tree coverWithin 2 km of the center. | 19.6% | 28.9% (better) |
| Trees still neededTo reach a healthy canopy. | 61.0K | 3.5K (better) |
Air quality today
What is the air like in Beijing and Shanghai right now?
Shanghai has cleaner air than Beijing right now: AQI 87 (Moderate) against 171 (Unhealthy). PM2.5 is setting the index in both.
Beijing's PM2.5 is about 5.6× the WHO's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³. Shanghai's PM2.5 is about 1.9× the WHO's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³.
Both readings come from nearby ground stations.
BeijingShanghai
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).
Beijing: Ground station · Temple of Heaven, Dongcheng, Beijing (东城天坛), 2.5 km away · median of 5 stations. Data: World Air Quality Index Project, Beijing Environmental Protection Monitoring Center (北京市环境保护监测中心).
Shanghai: Ground station · Huangpu Ruijin, Shanghai (黄浦瑞金), 1 km away · median of 7 stations. Data: World Air Quality Index Project, Shanghai Environment Monitoring Center(上海市环境监测中心).
The past week
Which had cleaner air over the past 7 days?
Over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Shanghai averaged AQI 108 against 176, 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
- Beijing0Shanghai7
- Average AQI
- Beijing176Shanghai108
- Worst day, AQI
- Beijing259Shanghai161
The daily numbers (7 days)
| Day | Beijing | Shanghai |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 5 | 189 | 96 |
| Nov 6 | 166 | 137 |
| Nov 7 | 143 | 88 |
| Nov 8 | 108 | 85 |
| Nov 9 | 165 | 67 |
| Nov 10 | 201 | 123 |
| Nov 11 | 259 | 161 |
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 Beijing and Shanghai today?
Beijing (AQI 171, Unhealthy): Everyone should limit long outdoor exertion; sensitive groups more so.
Shanghai (AQI 87, Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Exercise outdoors
- Beijing
- Everyone should cut down long or hard exercise; sensitive groups should avoid it.
- Shanghai
- Fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier.
Windows
- Beijing
- Keep them closed.
- Shanghai
- Fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution.
Masks
- Beijing
- Wear an N95 outdoors.
- Shanghai
- Not needed for most people.
Air purifier
- Beijing
- Run one.
- Shanghai
- Worth running if you are sensitive.
Against everywhere else
How do Beijing and Shanghai compare with the rest of the world?
Right now Beijing's air is cleaner than 6% of the 5,420 places Airleaf tracks, and Shanghai's is cleaner than 27%. Within China, that is 8% and 64% of its 639 measured places.
Cleaner air than…
- Beijing
- Beats 6%
- Shanghai
- Beats 27%
More tree cover than…
- Beijing
- Beats 46%
- Shanghai
- Beats 66%
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.
Beijing
2017: satellite photo from June 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
Shanghai
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
Trees
Which has more trees, Beijing or Shanghai?
Shanghai has more tree cover: 28.9% of the land within 2 km of its center against 19.6% around Beijing, or about 90,701 trees against 58,620.
The dark mark is each place's canopy target: 30% of the land, raised where air quality is poor.
| Beijing | Shanghai | |
|---|---|---|
| Trees standingEstimated from the canopy area. | 58.6K | 90.7K (better) |
| Trees still neededTo reach the target. Fewer is better. | 61.0K | 3.5K (better) |
| CO₂ absorbed each yearBy the trees already standing. | 1.3M kg | 2.0M kg (better) |
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
Beijing vs Shanghai: your questions answered
Is Shanghai cleaner than Beijing?
On air quality, yes, right now: Shanghai reads AQI 87 against 171, a gap of 84 points on the US EPA index. This is a live reading rather than an annual average, so it can reverse within a day. Over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Shanghai averaged AQI 108 against 176, and it was the cleaner of the two on 7 of those days.
Is it safe to exercise outdoors in Beijing and Shanghai today?
In Beijing, at AQI 171: Everyone should limit long outdoor exertion; sensitive groups more so. In Shanghai, at AQI 87: Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Which has more trees, Beijing or Shanghai?
Shanghai has more tree cover: 28.9% of the land within 2 km of its center against 19.6% around Beijing, or about 90,701 trees against 58,620. Both figures describe the same-sized circle of ground around each center, not the whole municipality.
How many more trees do Beijing and Shanghai need?
Beijing needs about 61,012 more to reach its canopy target of 40%, and Shanghai about 3,452 to reach 30%. The target starts at 30% of the land and rises where air quality is poor.
Are Beijing and Shanghai 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 Beijing vs Shanghai 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 17, 2026 and Sep 14, 2026), and the forest figures are published yearly.
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