Air quality comparison · Myanmar, 153.5 mi (247 km) apart
Kalemyo vs Mandalay Air quality index (AQI) today
Kalemyo has cleaner air than Mandalay right now: AQI 14 (Good) against 37 (Good).
Both sit in the same EPA band, so the health advice is the same for each today. Over the past 6 days, on modeled daily averages, Kalemyo averaged AQI 47 against 69, and it was the cleaner of the two on 5 of those days. Kalemyo has lost more forest since 2001. Kalemyo has more tree cover.
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Kalemyo14Mandalay37
Head to head
Kalemyo vs Mandalay at a glance
Kalemyo is ahead on 5 of 6 measures, and Mandalay on 1. The better figure in each row is marked.
| Kalemyo | Mandalay | |
|---|---|---|
| Air quality nowUS AQI. Lower is better. | 14 (better) | 37 |
| PM2.5Fine particles, µg/m³. | 3.1 (better) | 5.7 |
| Past week's averageUS AQI, 6 days. | 47 (better) | 69 |
| Forest lost since 2001Within 10 km of the center. | 515 ha | 3 ha (better) |
| Tree coverWithin 1.2 mi (2 km) of the center. | 46.9% (better) | 26.5% |
| Trees still neededTo reach a healthy canopy. | 0 (better) | 10.8K |
Air quality today
What is the air like in Kalemyo and Mandalay right now?
Kalemyo has cleaner air than Mandalay right now: AQI 14 (Good) against 37 (Good). PM2.5 is setting the index in both.
Both readings are model estimates, with no ground station close enough to either.
KalemyoMandalay
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).
Kalemyo: Model estimate · no ground station nearby. Data: Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index.
Mandalay: Model estimate · no ground station nearby. Data: Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index.
The past week
Which had cleaner air over the past 6 days?
Over the past 6 days, on modeled daily averages, Kalemyo averaged AQI 47 against 69, and it was the cleaner of the two on 5 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
- Kalemyo5Mandalay1
- Average AQI
- Kalemyo47Mandalay69
- Worst day, AQI
- Kalemyo59Mandalay95
The daily numbers (6 days)
| Day | Kalemyo | Mandalay |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 5 | 47 | 85 |
| Nov 6 | 46 | 95 |
| Nov 7 | 59 | 86 |
| Nov 8 | 57 | 59 |
| Nov 9 | 56 | 49 |
| Nov 10 | 15 | 39 |
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 Kalemyo and Mandalay today?
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone. Both are in the same EPA band today (Good), so the advice is the same.
Exercise outdoors
A good day to be active outside.
Windows
Open them to air the house.
Masks
Not needed.
Air purifier
Not needed.
Against everywhere else
How do Kalemyo and Mandalay compare with the rest of the world?
Right now Kalemyo's air is cleaner than 94% of the 5,420 places Airleaf tracks, and Mandalay's is cleaner than 73%. Within Myanmar, that is 72% and 22% of its 33 measured places.
Cleaner air than…
- Kalemyo
- Beats 94%
- Mandalay
- Beats 73%
More tree cover than…
- Kalemyo
- Beats 90%
- Mandalay
- Beats 61%
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, Kalemyo or Mandalay?
Kalemyo has lost more: about 515 ha of forest within 10 km of its center from 2001 to 2025, against 3 ha around Mandalay. 130 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: 2014, with 101 ha lost.
Worst year: 2001, with 1 ha lost.
| Kalemyo | Mandalay | |
|---|---|---|
| Forest lost since 2001Cleared, burned or logged. | 515 ha | 3 ha (better) |
| Cleared for goodTurned into farms, mines or towns. | 130 ha | under 1 ha (better) |
| Recent trend2021–2025 against the five years before. | Too little to call | Too little to call |
| Main known cause | Shifting farming (73%) | Towns and roads (21%) |
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.
Kalemyo
2017: satellite photo from February 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km east of the city center.
Mandalay
2017: satellite photo from February 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
Trees
Which has more trees, Kalemyo or Mandalay?
Kalemyo has more tree cover: 46.9% of the land within 1.2 mi (2 km) of its center against 26.5% around Mandalay, or about 146,457 trees against 82,003.
The dark mark is each place's canopy target: 30% of the land, raised where air quality is poor.
| Kalemyo | Mandalay | |
|---|---|---|
| Trees standingEstimated from the canopy area. | 146K (better) | 82.0K |
| Trees still neededTo reach the target. Fewer is better. | 0 (better) | 10.8K |
| CO₂ absorbed each yearBy the trees already standing. | 3.2M kg (better) | 1.8M kg |
Tree cover on the satellite image
The same 1.2 mi (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 1.2 mi (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
Kalemyo vs Mandalay: your questions answered
Is Kalemyo cleaner than Mandalay?
On air quality, yes, right now: Kalemyo reads AQI 14 against 37, a gap of 23 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, Kalemyo averaged AQI 47 against 69, and it was the cleaner of the two on 5 of those days.
Is it safe to exercise outdoors in Kalemyo and Mandalay today?
The advice is the same for both today. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone. Kalemyo reads AQI 14 and Mandalay reads AQI 37.
Which has lost more forest, Kalemyo or Mandalay?
Kalemyo has lost more: about 515 ha of forest within 10 km of its center from 2001 to 2025, against 3 ha around Mandalay. 130 ha of that was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
Which has more trees, Kalemyo or Mandalay?
Kalemyo has more tree cover: 46.9% of the land within 1.2 mi (2 km) of its center against 26.5% around Mandalay, or about 146,457 trees against 82,003. Both figures describe the same-sized circle of ground around each center, not the whole municipality.
How many more trees do Kalemyo and Mandalay need?
Kalemyo needs about 0 more to reach its canopy target of 30%, and Mandalay about 10,831 to reach 30%. The target starts at 30% of the land and rises where air quality is poor.
Are Kalemyo and Mandalay 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 are model estimates, with no ground station close enough to either. Nothing is adjusted for population, city limits or climate.
How often does the Kalemyo vs Mandalay 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 14, 2026 and Sep 16, 2026), and the forest figures are published yearly.
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