Air quality comparison · Serbia, 270 km apart
Niš vs Novi Sad Air quality index (AQI) today
Niš has cleaner air than Novi Sad right now: AQI 78 (Moderate) against 93 (Moderate).
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, Niš averaged AQI 85 against 96, and it was the cleaner of the two on 3 of those days. Novi Sad has lost more forest since 2001. Novi Sad has more tree cover.
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Niš78Novi Sad93
Head to head
Niš vs Novi Sad at a glance
Niš is ahead on 4 of 6 measures, and Novi Sad on 2. The better figure in each row is marked.
| Niš | Novi Sad | |
|---|---|---|
| Air quality nowUS AQI. Lower is better. | 78 (better) | 93 |
| PM2.5Fine particles, µg/m³. | 23.8 (better) | 31.7 |
| Past week's averageUS AQI, 6 days. | 85 (better) | 96 |
| Forest lost since 2001Within 10 km of the center. | 58 ha (better) | 897 ha |
| Tree coverWithin 2 km of the center. | 20.5% | 20.6% (better) |
| Trees still neededTo reach a healthy canopy. | 29.8K | 27.7K (better) |
Air quality today
What is the air like in Niš and Novi Sad right now?
Niš has cleaner air than Novi Sad right now: AQI 78 (Moderate) against 93 (Moderate). PM2.5 is setting the index in both.
Niš's PM2.5 is about 1.6× the WHO's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³. Novi Sad's PM2.5 is about 2.1× the WHO's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³.
Both readings come from nearby ground stations.
NišNovi Sad
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 6 days?
Over the past 6 days, on modeled daily averages, Niš averaged AQI 85 against 96, and it was the cleaner of the two on 3 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
- Niš3Novi Sad3
- Average AQI
- Niš85Novi Sad96
- Worst day, AQI
- Niš106Novi Sad117
The daily numbers (6 days)
| Day | Niš | Novi Sad |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 5 | 92 | 73 |
| Nov 6 | 106 | 89 |
| Nov 7 | 98 | 86 |
| Nov 8 | 79 | 101 |
| Nov 9 | 71 | 112 |
| Nov 10 | 64 | 117 |
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 Niš and Novi Sad 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 Niš and Novi Sad compare with the rest of the world?
Right now Niš's air is cleaner than 32% of the 5,420 places Airleaf tracks, and Novi Sad's is cleaner than 24%. Within Serbia, that is 80% and 80% of its 6 measured places.
Cleaner air than…
- Niš
- Beats 32%
- Novi Sad
- Beats 24%
More tree cover than…
- Niš
- Beats 48%
- Novi Sad
- Beats 48%
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, Niš or Novi Sad?
Novi Sad has lost more: about 897 ha of forest within 10 km of its center from 2001 to 2025, against 58 ha around Niš. 66 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: 2023, with 14 ha lost.
Worst year: 2023, with 182 ha lost.
| Niš | Novi Sad | |
|---|---|---|
| Forest lost since 2001Cleared, burned or logged. | 58 ha (better) | 897 ha |
| Share of its forestOf what it had in 2000. | under 1% (better) | 17% |
| Cleared for goodTurned into farms, mines or towns. | 12 ha (better) | 66 ha |
| Recent trend2021–2025 against the five years before. | Too little to call | Speeding up |
| Main known cause | Logging (58%) | Logging (92%) |
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.
Niš
2017: satellite photo from September 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
Novi Sad
2017: satellite photo from August 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 6 km east of the city center.
Trees
Which has more trees, Niš or Novi Sad?
Novi Sad has more tree cover: 20.6% of the land within 2 km of its center against 20.5% around Niš, or about 60,704 trees against 64,403.
The dark mark is each place's canopy target: 30% of the land, raised where air quality is poor.
| Niš | Novi Sad | |
|---|---|---|
| Trees standingEstimated from the canopy area. | 64.4K (better) | 60.7K |
| Trees still neededTo reach the target. Fewer is better. | 29.8K | 27.7K (better) |
| CO₂ absorbed each yearBy the trees already standing. | 1.4M kg (better) | 1.3M 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
Niš vs Novi Sad: your questions answered
Is Niš cleaner than Novi Sad?
On air quality, yes, right now: Niš reads AQI 78 against 93, a gap of 15 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, Niš averaged AQI 85 against 96, and it was the cleaner of the two on 3 of those days.
Is it safe to exercise outdoors in Niš and Novi Sad today?
The advice is the same for both today. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion. Niš reads AQI 78 and Novi Sad reads AQI 93.
Which has lost more forest, Niš or Novi Sad?
Novi Sad has lost more: about 897 ha of forest within 10 km of its center from 2001 to 2025, against 58 ha around Niš. 66 ha of that was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
Which has more trees, Niš or Novi Sad?
Novi Sad has more tree cover: 20.6% of the land within 2 km of its center against 20.5% around Niš, or about 60,704 trees against 64,403. Both figures describe the same-sized circle of ground around each center, not the whole municipality.
How many more trees do Niš and Novi Sad need?
Niš needs about 29,845 more to reach its canopy target of 30%, and Novi Sad about 27,700 to reach 30%. The target starts at 30% of the land and rises where air quality is poor.
Are Niš and Novi Sad 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 Niš vs Novi Sad 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 19, 2026 and Sep 17, 2026), and the forest figures are published yearly.
Keep going
Compare them with somewhere else
Build your own
Compare Niš with somewhere else
This place
Niš