Air quality comparison · Pakistan, 274 km apart
Islamabad vs Lahore Air quality index (AQI) today
Islamabad has cleaner air than Lahore right now: AQI 176 (Unhealthy) against 256 (Very unhealthy).
That puts them in different EPA bands, so the health advice differs today. Over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Islamabad averaged AQI 105 against 191, 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.
Islamabad176Lahore256
Head to head
Islamabad vs Lahore at a glance
Islamabad is ahead on 5 of 6 measures, and Lahore on 1. The better figure in each row is marked.
| Islamabad | Lahore | |
|---|---|---|
| Air quality nowUS AQI. Lower is better. | 176 (better) | 256 |
| PM2.5Fine particles, µg/m³. | 90.6 (better) | 181.5 |
| Past week's averageUS AQI, 7 days. | 105 (better) | 191 |
| Forest lost since 2001Within 10 km of the center. | 20 ha | 3 ha (better) |
| Tree coverWithin 2 km of the center. | 50.2% (better) | 32.4% |
| Trees still neededTo reach a healthy canopy. | 0 (better) | 39.6K |
Air quality today
What is the air like in Islamabad and Lahore right now?
Islamabad has cleaner air than Lahore right now: AQI 176 (Unhealthy) against 256 (Very unhealthy). PM2.5 is setting the index in both.
Islamabad's PM2.5 is about 6.0× the WHO's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³. Lahore's PM2.5 is about 12× the WHO's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³.
Both readings come from nearby ground stations.
IslamabadLahore
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).
Islamabad: Ground station · F-7, Islamabad, 1.2 km away · median of 11 stations. Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, Hawanama, Homer Simpson, Pakistan Air Quality Initiative (PAQI پاکی), The Urban Unit.
Lahore: Ground station · CERP Office, 700 m away · median of 35 stations. Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, Hawanama, Pakistan Air Quality Initiative (PAQI پاکی), The Urban Unit.
The past week
Which had cleaner air over the past 7 days?
Over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Islamabad averaged AQI 105 against 191, 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
- Islamabad7Lahore0
- Average AQI
- Islamabad105Lahore191
- Worst day, AQI
- Islamabad125Lahore251
The daily numbers (7 days)
| Day | Islamabad | Lahore |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 5 | 122 | 201 |
| Nov 6 | 91 | 157 |
| Nov 7 | 98 | 135 |
| Nov 8 | 94 | 177 |
| Nov 9 | 125 | 178 |
| Nov 10 | 121 | 235 |
| Nov 11 | 84 | 251 |
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 Lahore today?
Islamabad (AQI 176, Unhealthy): Everyone should limit long outdoor exertion; sensitive groups more so.
Lahore (AQI 256, Very unhealthy): Health alert — everyone should avoid long outdoor exertion.
Exercise outdoors
- Islamabad
- Everyone should cut down long or hard exercise; sensitive groups should avoid it.
- Lahore
- Everyone should avoid long or hard exercise outdoors; sensitive groups, all outdoor exertion.
Windows
Keep them closed.
Masks
- Islamabad
- Wear an N95 outdoors.
- Lahore
- Wear an N95 if you go out.
Air purifier
- Islamabad
- Run one.
- Lahore
- Run one on high.
Against everywhere else
How do Islamabad and Lahore compare with the rest of the world?
Right now Islamabad's air is cleaner than 5% of the 5,420 places Airleaf tracks, and Lahore's is cleaner than 2%. Within Pakistan, that is 74% and 51% of its 127 measured places.
Cleaner air than…
- Islamabad
- Beats 5%
- Lahore
- Beats 2%
More tree cover than…
- Islamabad
- Beats 92%
- Lahore
- Beats 73%
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 Lahore?
Islamabad has lost more: about 20 ha of forest within 10 km of its center from 2001 to 2025, against 3 ha around Lahore. 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 3 ha lost.
| Islamabad | Lahore | |
|---|---|---|
| Forest lost since 2001Cleared, burned or logged. | 20 ha | 3 ha (better) |
| Cleared for goodTurned into farms, mines or towns. | 6 ha | 1 ha (better) |
| Recent trend2021–2025 against the five years before. | Too little to call | Too little to call |
| Main known cause | Wildfires (26%) | Farms, pasture and plantations (34%) |
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.
Lahore
2017: satellite photo from June 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
Trees
Which has more trees, Islamabad or Lahore?
Islamabad has more tree cover: 50.2% of the land within 2 km of its center against 32.4% around Lahore, or about 157,708 trees against 101,788.
The dark mark is each place's canopy target: 30% of the land, raised where air quality is poor.
| Islamabad | Lahore | |
|---|---|---|
| Trees standingEstimated from the canopy area. | 158K (better) | 102K |
| Trees still neededTo reach the target. Fewer is better. | 0 (better) | 39.6K |
| CO₂ absorbed each yearBy the trees already standing. | 3.5M kg (better) | 2.2M 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 Lahore: your questions answered
Is Islamabad cleaner than Lahore?
On air quality, yes, right now: Islamabad reads AQI 176 against 256, a gap of 80 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, Islamabad averaged AQI 105 against 191, and it was the cleaner of the two on 7 of those days.
Is it safe to exercise outdoors in Islamabad and Lahore today?
In Islamabad, at AQI 176: Everyone should limit long outdoor exertion; sensitive groups more so. In Lahore, at AQI 256: Health alert — everyone should avoid long outdoor exertion.
Which has lost more forest, Islamabad or Lahore?
Islamabad has lost more: about 20 ha of forest within 10 km of its center from 2001 to 2025, against 3 ha around Lahore. 6 ha of that was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
Which has more trees, Islamabad or Lahore?
Islamabad has more tree cover: 50.2% of the land within 2 km of its center against 32.4% around Lahore, or about 157,708 trees against 101,788. Both figures describe the same-sized circle of ground around each center, not the whole municipality.
How many more trees do Islamabad and Lahore need?
Islamabad needs about 0 more to reach its canopy target of 40%, and Lahore about 39,584 to reach 45%. The target starts at 30% of the land and rises where air quality is poor.
Are Islamabad and Lahore 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 Lahore 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 Sep 8, 2026), and the forest figures are published yearly.
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