Air quality comparison · Pakistan, 942 km apart
Faisalabad vs Karachi Air quality index (AQI) today
Karachi has cleaner air than Faisalabad right now: AQI 86 (Moderate) against 195 (Unhealthy).
That puts them in different EPA bands, so the health advice differs today. Over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Karachi averaged AQI 79 against 251, and it was the cleaner of the two on 7 of those days. Karachi has lost more forest since 2001. Faisalabad has more tree cover.
Pakistan
AQI 195
Unhealthy
Cleaner right now
- PM2.5
- 118.6 µg/m³7.9× WHO guideline
- Main pollutant
- PM2.5
- Source
- Ground station
- Reading
- Nov 11, 17:00 local
Pakistan
AQI 86
Moderate
Cleaner right now
- PM2.5
- 27.8 µg/m³1.9× WHO guideline
- Main pollutant
- PM2.5
- Source
- Ground station
- Reading
- Nov 11, 17:00 local
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Faisalabad195Karachi86
Head to head
Faisalabad vs Karachi at a glance
Faisalabad and Karachi are level, each ahead on 3 of 6 measures. The better figure in each row is marked.
| Faisalabad | Karachi | |
|---|---|---|
| Air quality nowUS AQI. Lower is better. | 195 | 86 (better) |
| PM2.5Fine particles, µg/m³. | 118.6 | 27.8 (better) |
| Past week's averageUS AQI, 7 days. | 251 | 79 (better) |
| Forest lost since 2001Within 10 km of the center. | under 1 ha (better) | 5 ha |
| Tree coverWithin 2 km of the center. | 13.3% (better) | 1.7% |
| Trees still neededTo reach a healthy canopy. | 83.9K (better) | 88.9K |
Air quality today
What is the air like in Faisalabad and Karachi right now?
Karachi has cleaner air than Faisalabad right now: AQI 86 (Moderate) against 195 (Unhealthy). PM2.5 is setting the index in both.
Faisalabad's PM2.5 is about 7.9× the WHO's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³. Karachi's PM2.5 is about 1.9× the WHO's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³.
Both readings come from nearby ground stations.
FaisalabadKarachi
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).
Faisalabad: Ground station · WWF-10 PU EpicAir, 600 m away · median of 4 stations. Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, The Urban Unit.
Karachi: Ground station · NED University City Campus, 1.6 km away · median of 14 stations. Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, Hawanama, The Urban Unit, Pakistan Air Quality Initiative (PAQI پاکی).
The past week
Which had cleaner air over the past 7 days?
Over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Karachi averaged AQI 79 against 251, 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
- Faisalabad0Karachi7
- Average AQI
- Faisalabad251Karachi79
- Worst day, AQI
- Faisalabad387Karachi91
The daily numbers (7 days)
| Day | Faisalabad | Karachi |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 5 | 285 | 91 |
| Nov 6 | 175 | 82 |
| Nov 7 | 144 | 78 |
| Nov 8 | 210 | 74 |
| Nov 9 | 232 | 81 |
| Nov 10 | 321 | 74 |
| Nov 11 | 387 | 72 |
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 Faisalabad and Karachi today?
Faisalabad (AQI 195, Unhealthy): Everyone should limit long outdoor exertion; sensitive groups more so.
Karachi (AQI 86, Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Exercise outdoors
- Faisalabad
- Everyone should cut down long or hard exercise; sensitive groups should avoid it.
- Karachi
- Fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier.
Windows
- Faisalabad
- Keep them closed.
- Karachi
- Fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution.
Masks
- Faisalabad
- Wear an N95 outdoors.
- Karachi
- Not needed for most people.
Air purifier
- Faisalabad
- Run one.
- Karachi
- Worth running if you are sensitive.
Against everywhere else
How do Faisalabad and Karachi compare with the rest of the world?
Right now Faisalabad's air is cleaner than 3% of the 5,420 places Airleaf tracks, and Karachi's is cleaner than 26%. Within Pakistan, that is 59% and 94% of its 127 measured places.
Cleaner air than…
- Faisalabad
- Beats 3%
- Karachi
- Beats 26%
More tree cover than…
- Faisalabad
- Beats 30%
- Karachi
- Beats 3%
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, Faisalabad or Karachi?
Karachi has lost more: about 5 ha of forest within 10 km of its center from 2001 to 2025, against under 1 ha around Faisalabad. under 1 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.
No forest lost in any year.
Worst year: 2001, with under 1 ha lost.
| Faisalabad | Karachi | |
|---|---|---|
| Forest lost since 2001Cleared, burned or logged. | under 1 ha (better) | 5 ha |
| Cleared for goodTurned into farms, mines or towns. | under 1 ha (better) | under 1 ha |
| Recent trend2021–2025 against the five years before. | Too little to call | Too little to call |
| Main known cause | Not classified | Storms, floods and other natural causes (36%) |
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.
Faisalabad
2017: satellite photo from August 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
Karachi
2017: satellite photo from January 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
Trees
Which has more trees, Faisalabad or Karachi?
Faisalabad has more tree cover: 13.3% of the land within 2 km of its center against 1.7% around Karachi, or about 41,783 trees against 5,341.
The dark mark is each place's canopy target: 30% of the land, raised where air quality is poor.
| Faisalabad | Karachi | |
|---|---|---|
| Trees standingEstimated from the canopy area. | 41.8K (better) | 5.3K |
| Trees still neededTo reach the target. Fewer is better. | 83.9K (better) | 88.9K |
| CO₂ absorbed each yearBy the trees already standing. | 919K kg (better) | 118K 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
Faisalabad vs Karachi: your questions answered
Is Karachi cleaner than Faisalabad?
On air quality, yes, right now: Karachi reads AQI 86 against 195, a gap of 109 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, Karachi averaged AQI 79 against 251, and it was the cleaner of the two on 7 of those days.
Is it safe to exercise outdoors in Faisalabad and Karachi today?
In Faisalabad, at AQI 195: Everyone should limit long outdoor exertion; sensitive groups more so. In Karachi, at AQI 86: Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Which has lost more forest, Faisalabad or Karachi?
Karachi has lost more: about 5 ha of forest within 10 km of its center from 2001 to 2025, against under 1 ha around Faisalabad. under 1 ha of that was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
Which has more trees, Faisalabad or Karachi?
Faisalabad has more tree cover: 13.3% of the land within 2 km of its center against 1.7% around Karachi, or about 41,783 trees against 5,341. Both figures describe the same-sized circle of ground around each center, not the whole municipality.
How many more trees do Faisalabad and Karachi need?
Faisalabad needs about 83,881 more to reach its canopy target of 40%, and Karachi about 88,907 to reach 30%. The target starts at 30% of the land and rises where air quality is poor.
Are Faisalabad and Karachi 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 Faisalabad vs Karachi 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 11, 2026 and Oct 24, 2026), and the forest figures are published yearly.
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