Air quality comparison · Pakistan, 1146 km apart
Islamabad vs Karachi Air quality index (AQI) today
Karachi has cleaner air than Islamabad right now: AQI 94 (Moderate) against 163 (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 105, and it was the cleaner of the two on 7 of those days. Islamabad has lost more forest since 2001. Islamabad has more tree cover.
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Islamabad163Karachi94
Head to head
Islamabad vs Karachi at a glance
Karachi is ahead on 4 of 6 measures, and Islamabad on 2. The better figure in each row is marked.
| Islamabad | Karachi | |
|---|---|---|
| Air quality nowUS AQI. Lower is better. | 163 | 94 (better) |
| PM2.5Fine particles, µg/m³. | 73.2 | 32.4 (better) |
| Past week's averageUS AQI, 7 days. | 105 | 79 (better) |
| Forest lost since 2001Within 10 km of the center. | 20 ha | 5 ha (better) |
| Tree coverWithin 2 km of the center. | 50.2% (better) | 1.7% |
| Trees still neededTo reach a healthy canopy. | 0 (better) | 88.9K |
Air quality today
What is the air like in Islamabad and Karachi right now?
Karachi has cleaner air than Islamabad right now: AQI 94 (Moderate) against 163 (Unhealthy). PM2.5 is setting the index in both.
Islamabad's PM2.5 is about 4.9× the WHO's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³. Karachi's PM2.5 is about 2.2× the WHO's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³.
Both readings come from nearby ground stations.
IslamabadKarachi
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).
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 105, 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
- Islamabad0Karachi7
- Average AQI
- Islamabad105Karachi79
- Worst day, AQI
- Islamabad125Karachi91
The daily numbers (7 days)
| Day | Islamabad | Karachi |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 5 | 122 | 91 |
| Nov 6 | 91 | 82 |
| Nov 7 | 98 | 78 |
| Nov 8 | 94 | 74 |
| Nov 9 | 125 | 81 |
| Nov 10 | 121 | 74 |
| Nov 11 | 84 | 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 Islamabad and Karachi today?
Islamabad (AQI 163, Unhealthy): Everyone should limit long outdoor exertion; sensitive groups more so.
Karachi (AQI 94, Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Exercise outdoors
- Islamabad
- 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
- Islamabad
- Keep them closed.
- Karachi
- Fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution.
Masks
- Islamabad
- Wear an N95 outdoors.
- Karachi
- Not needed for most people.
Air purifier
- Islamabad
- Run one.
- Karachi
- Worth running if you are sensitive.
Against everywhere else
How do Islamabad and Karachi compare with the rest of the world?
Right now Islamabad's air is cleaner than 6% of the 5,420 places Airleaf tracks, and Karachi's is cleaner than 21%. Within Pakistan, that is 76% and 94% of its 127 measured places.
Cleaner air than…
- Islamabad
- Beats 6%
- Karachi
- Beats 21%
More tree cover than…
- Islamabad
- Beats 92%
- 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, Islamabad or Karachi?
Islamabad has lost more: about 20 ha of forest within 10 km of its center from 2001 to 2025, against 5 ha around Karachi. 6 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: 2009, with 5 ha lost.
Worst year: 2001, with under 1 ha lost.
| Islamabad | Karachi | |
|---|---|---|
| Forest lost since 2001Cleared, burned or logged. | 20 ha | 5 ha (better) |
| Share of its forestOf what it had in 2000. | under 1% (better) | under 1% |
| Cleared for goodTurned into farms, mines or towns. | 6 ha | under 1 ha (better) |
| Recent trend2021–2025 against the five years before. | Too little to call | Too little to call |
| Main known cause | Wildfires (26%) | 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.
Islamabad
2017: satellite photo from June 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, Islamabad or Karachi?
Islamabad has more tree cover: 50.2% of the land within 2 km of its center against 1.7% around Karachi, or about 157,708 trees against 5,341.
The dark mark is each place's canopy target: 30% of the land, raised where air quality is poor.
| Islamabad | Karachi | |
|---|---|---|
| Trees standingEstimated from the canopy area. | 158K (better) | 5.3K |
| Trees still neededTo reach the target. Fewer is better. | 0 (better) | 88.9K |
| CO₂ absorbed each yearBy the trees already standing. | 3.5M 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
Islamabad vs Karachi: your questions answered
Is Karachi cleaner than Islamabad?
On air quality, yes, right now: Karachi reads AQI 94 against 163, a gap of 69 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 105, and it was the cleaner of the two on 7 of those days.
Is it safe to exercise outdoors in Islamabad and Karachi today?
In Islamabad, at AQI 163: Everyone should limit long outdoor exertion; sensitive groups more so. In Karachi, at AQI 94: Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Which has lost more forest, Islamabad or Karachi?
Islamabad has lost more: about 20 ha of forest within 10 km of its center from 2001 to 2025, against 5 ha around Karachi. 6 ha of that was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
Which has more trees, Islamabad or Karachi?
Islamabad has more tree cover: 50.2% of the land within 2 km of its center against 1.7% around Karachi, or about 157,708 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 Islamabad and Karachi need?
Islamabad needs about 0 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 Islamabad 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 Islamabad 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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