Air quality comparison · China, 1440 km apart
Chongqing vs Shanghai Air quality index (AQI) today
Shanghai has cleaner air than Chongqing right now: AQI 87 (Moderate) against 151 (Unhealthy).
That puts them in different EPA bands, so the health advice differs today. Over the past 6 days, on modeled daily averages, Shanghai averaged AQI 99 against 132, and it was the cleaner of the two on 6 of those days. Chongqing has lost more forest since 2001. 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.
Chongqing151Shanghai87
Head to head
Chongqing vs Shanghai at a glance
Shanghai is ahead on 6 of 6 measures, and Chongqing on 0. The better figure in each row is marked.
| Chongqing | Shanghai | |
|---|---|---|
| Air quality nowUS AQI. Lower is better. | 151 | 87 (better) |
| PM2.5Fine particles, µg/m³. | 55.8 | 28.3 (better) |
| Past week's averageUS AQI, 6 days. | 132 | 99 (better) |
| Forest lost since 2001Within 10 km of the center. | 50 ha | under 1 ha (better) |
| Tree coverWithin 2 km of the center. | 27.4% | 28.9% (better) |
| Trees still neededTo reach a healthy canopy. | 28.9K | 3.5K (better) |
Air quality today
What is the air like in Chongqing and Shanghai right now?
Shanghai has cleaner air than Chongqing right now: AQI 87 (Moderate) against 151 (Unhealthy). PM2.5 is setting the index in both.
Chongqing's PM2.5 is about 3.7× 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.
ChongqingShanghai
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).
Chongqing: Ground station · Chongqing (重庆), 700 m away · median of 6 stations. Data: World Air Quality Index Project, Chongqing Environmental Protection Bureau (重庆市主城区空气质量).
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 6 days?
Over the past 6 days, on modeled daily averages, Shanghai averaged AQI 99 against 132, and it was the cleaner of the two on 6 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
- Chongqing0Shanghai6
- Average AQI
- Chongqing132Shanghai99
- Worst day, AQI
- Chongqing169Shanghai137
The daily numbers (6 days)
| Day | Chongqing | Shanghai |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 5 | 169 | 96 |
| Nov 6 | 154 | 137 |
| Nov 7 | 121 | 88 |
| Nov 8 | 92 | 85 |
| Nov 9 | 126 | 67 |
| Nov 10 | 132 | 123 |
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 Chongqing and Shanghai today?
Chongqing (AQI 151, 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
- Chongqing
- 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
- Chongqing
- Keep them closed.
- Shanghai
- Fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution.
Masks
- Chongqing
- Wear an N95 outdoors.
- Shanghai
- Not needed for most people.
Air purifier
- Chongqing
- Run one.
- Shanghai
- Worth running if you are sensitive.
Against everywhere else
How do Chongqing and Shanghai compare with the rest of the world?
Right now Chongqing's air is cleaner than 11% of the 5,420 places Airleaf tracks, and Shanghai's is cleaner than 27%. Within China, that is 20% and 64% of its 639 measured places.
Cleaner air than…
- Chongqing
- Beats 11%
- Shanghai
- Beats 27%
More tree cover than…
- Chongqing
- Beats 63%
- 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.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
Which has lost more forest, Chongqing or Shanghai?
Chongqing has lost more: about 50 ha of forest within 10 km of its center from 2001 to 2025, against under 1 ha around Shanghai. 48 ha of that was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
Measured within 10 km of each center, from the yearly satellite maps of forest loss: a wider circle than the one for tree cover, because forest is usually lost at a city's edges.
Worst year: 2013, with 9 ha lost.
No forest lost in any year.
| Chongqing | Shanghai | |
|---|---|---|
| Forest lost since 2001Cleared, burned or logged. | 50 ha | under 1 ha (better) |
| Cleared for goodTurned into farms, mines or towns. | 48 ha | under 1 ha (better) |
| Recent trend2021–2025 against the five years before. | Too little to call | Too little to call |
| Main known cause | Towns and roads (96%) | Not classified |
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.
Chongqing
2017: satellite photo from July 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, Chongqing or Shanghai?
Shanghai has more tree cover: 28.9% of the land within 2 km of its center against 27.4% around Chongqing, or about 90,701 trees against 62,838.
The dark mark is each place's canopy target: 30% of the land, raised where air quality is poor.
| Chongqing | Shanghai | |
|---|---|---|
| Trees standingEstimated from the canopy area. | 62.8K | 90.7K (better) |
| Trees still neededTo reach the target. Fewer is better. | 28.9K | 3.5K (better) |
| CO₂ absorbed each yearBy the trees already standing. | 1.4M 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
Chongqing vs Shanghai: your questions answered
Is Shanghai cleaner than Chongqing?
On air quality, yes, right now: Shanghai reads AQI 87 against 151, a gap of 64 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 6 days, on modeled daily averages, Shanghai averaged AQI 99 against 132, and it was the cleaner of the two on 6 of those days.
Is it safe to exercise outdoors in Chongqing and Shanghai today?
In Chongqing, at AQI 151: 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 lost more forest, Chongqing or Shanghai?
Chongqing has lost more: about 50 ha of forest within 10 km of its center from 2001 to 2025, against under 1 ha around Shanghai. 48 ha of that was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
Which has more trees, Chongqing or Shanghai?
Shanghai has more tree cover: 28.9% of the land within 2 km of its center against 27.4% around Chongqing, or about 90,701 trees against 62,838. Both figures describe the same-sized circle of ground around each center, not the whole municipality.
How many more trees do Chongqing and Shanghai need?
Chongqing needs about 28,896 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 Chongqing 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 Chongqing 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 (Aug 27, 2026 and Sep 14, 2026), and the forest figures are published yearly.
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