Air quality comparison · Israel, 71 km apart
Jerusalem vs Netanya Air quality index (AQI) today
Jerusalem has cleaner air than Netanya right now: AQI 51 (Moderate) against 55 (Moderate).
Both sit in the same EPA band, so the health advice is the same for each today. But over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Netanya averaged AQI 37 against 45, and it was the cleaner of the two on 7 of those days. Netanya has lost more forest since 2001. Jerusalem has more tree cover.
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Jerusalem51Netanya55
Head to head
Jerusalem vs Netanya at a glance
Jerusalem is ahead on 4 of 6 measures, and Netanya on 2. The better figure in each row is marked.
| Jerusalem | Netanya | |
|---|---|---|
| Air quality nowUS AQI. Lower is better. | 51 (better) | 55 |
| PM2.5Fine particles, µg/m³. | 9.1 (better) | 11.5 |
| Past week's averageUS AQI, 7 days. | 45 | 37 (better) |
| Forest lost since 2001Within 10 km of the center. | 21 ha (better) | 61 ha |
| Tree coverWithin 2 km of the center. | 12.6% (better) | 10.9% |
| Trees still neededTo reach a healthy canopy. | 54.7K | 46.8K (better) |
Air quality today
What is the air like in Jerusalem and Netanya right now?
Jerusalem has cleaner air than Netanya right now: AQI 51 (Moderate) against 55 (Moderate). PM2.5 is setting the index in both.
Both readings come from nearby ground stations.
JerusalemNetanya
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).
Jerusalem: Ground station · Jerusalem, Efrat - the UN, Israel (ישראל,אפרתה -י''ם, ירושלים), 1.3 km away · median of 3 stations. Data: World Air Quality Index Project, Israel Ministry of Environmental Protection.
Netanya: Ground station · Mobile Netanya - Mobile stations, Israel (ישראל,ניידת נתניה, תחנות ניידות), 2.9 km away. Data: World Air Quality Index Project, Israel Ministry of Environmental Protection.
The past week
Which had cleaner air over the past 7 days?
But over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Netanya averaged AQI 37 against 45, 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
- Jerusalem0Netanya7
- Average AQI
- Jerusalem45Netanya37
- Worst day, AQI
- Jerusalem61Netanya55
The daily numbers (7 days)
| Day | Jerusalem | Netanya |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 4 | 61 | 55 |
| Nov 5 | 60 | 47 |
| Nov 6 | 45 | 34 |
| Nov 7 | 28 | 25 |
| Nov 8 | 33 | 30 |
| Nov 9 | 43 | 37 |
| Nov 10 | 44 | 32 |
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 Jerusalem and Netanya today?
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion. Both are in the same EPA band today (Moderate), so the advice is the same.
Exercise outdoors
Fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier.
Windows
Fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution.
Masks
Not needed for most people.
Air purifier
Worth running if you are sensitive.
Against everywhere else
How do Jerusalem and Netanya compare with the rest of the world?
Right now Jerusalem's air is cleaner than 60% of the 5,420 places Airleaf tracks, and Netanya's is cleaner than 54%. Within Israel, that is 82% and 64% of its 12 measured places.
Cleaner air than…
- Jerusalem
- Beats 60%
- Netanya
- Beats 54%
More tree cover than…
- Jerusalem
- Beats 28%
- Netanya
- Beats 23%
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, Jerusalem or Netanya?
Netanya has lost more: about 61 ha of forest within 10 km of its center from 2001 to 2025, against 21 ha around Jerusalem. 55 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 4 ha lost.
Worst year: 2001, with 9 ha lost.
| Jerusalem | Netanya | |
|---|---|---|
| Forest lost since 2001Cleared, burned or logged. | 21 ha (better) | 61 ha |
| Share of its forestOf what it had in 2000. | 5% (better) | 17% |
| Cleared for goodTurned into farms, mines or towns. | 7 ha (better) | 55 ha |
| Recent trend2021–2025 against the five years before. | Too little to call | Too little to call |
| Main known cause | Wildfires (54%) | Farms, pasture and plantations (82%) |
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.
Jerusalem

2017: satellite photo from August 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
Netanya

2018: satellite photo from July 2018 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
Trees
Which has more trees, Jerusalem or Netanya?
Jerusalem has more tree cover: 12.6% of the land within 2 km of its center against 10.9% around Netanya, or about 39,584 trees against 26,710.
The dark mark is each place's canopy target: 30% of the land, raised where air quality is poor.
| Jerusalem | Netanya | |
|---|---|---|
| Trees standingEstimated from the canopy area. | 39.6K (better) | 26.7K |
| Trees still neededTo reach the target. Fewer is better. | 54.7K | 46.8K (better) |
| CO₂ absorbed each yearBy the trees already standing. | 871K kg (better) | 588K 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
Jerusalem vs Netanya: your questions answered
Is Jerusalem cleaner than Netanya?
On air quality, yes, right now: Jerusalem reads AQI 51 against 55, a gap of 4 points on the US EPA index. This is a live reading rather than an annual average, so it can reverse within a day. But over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Netanya averaged AQI 37 against 45, and it was the cleaner of the two on 7 of those days.
Is it safe to exercise outdoors in Jerusalem and Netanya today?
The advice is the same for both today. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion. Jerusalem reads AQI 51 and Netanya reads AQI 55.
Which has lost more forest, Jerusalem or Netanya?
Netanya has lost more: about 61 ha of forest within 10 km of its center from 2001 to 2025, against 21 ha around Jerusalem. 55 ha of that was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
Which has more trees, Jerusalem or Netanya?
Jerusalem has more tree cover: 12.6% of the land within 2 km of its center against 10.9% around Netanya, or about 39,584 trees against 26,710. Both figures describe the same-sized circle of ground around each center, not the whole municipality.
How many more trees do Jerusalem and Netanya need?
Jerusalem needs about 54,664 more to reach its canopy target of 30%, and Netanya about 46,803 to reach 30%. The target starts at 30% of the land and rises where air quality is poor.
Are Jerusalem and Netanya 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 Jerusalem vs Netanya 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 16, 2026 and Sep 16, 2026), and the forest figures are published yearly.
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