Air quality comparison · Laos, 277 km apart
Savannakhet vs Vientiane Air quality index (AQI) today
Savannakhet has cleaner air than Vientiane right now: AQI 55 (Moderate) against 85 (Moderate).
Both sit in the same EPA band, so the health advice is the same for each today. Over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Savannakhet averaged AQI 26 against 36, and it was the cleaner of the two on 5 of those days. Savannakhet has lost more forest since 2001. Savannakhet has more tree cover.
Laos
AQI 55
Moderate
Cleaner right now
- PM2.5
- 11.4 µg/m³
- Main pollutant
- PM2.5
- Source
- Ground station
- Reading
- Nov 12, 00:00 local
Laos
AQI 85
Moderate
Cleaner right now
- PM2.5
- 27.2 µg/m³1.8× WHO guideline
- Main pollutant
- PM2.5
- Source
- Ground station
- Reading
- Nov 12, 01:00 local
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Savannakhet55Vientiane85
Head to head
Savannakhet vs Vientiane at a glance
Savannakhet is ahead on 5 of 6 measures, and Vientiane on 1. The better figure in each row is marked.
| Savannakhet | Vientiane | |
|---|---|---|
| Air quality nowUS AQI. Lower is better. | 55 (better) | 85 |
| PM2.5Fine particles, µg/m³. | 11.4 (better) | 27.2 |
| Past week's averageUS AQI, 7 days. | 26 (better) | 36 |
| Forest lost since 2001Within 10 km of the center. | 2,270 ha | 263 ha (better) |
| Tree coverWithin 2 km of the center. | 30.2% (better) | 27.6% |
| Trees still neededTo reach a healthy canopy. | 0 (better) | 6.8K |
Air quality today
What is the air like in Savannakhet and Vientiane right now?
Savannakhet has cleaner air than Vientiane right now: AQI 55 (Moderate) against 85 (Moderate). PM2.5 is setting the index in both.
Vientiane's PM2.5 is about 1.8× the WHO's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³.
Both readings come from nearby ground stations.
SavannakhetVientiane
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).
Savannakhet: Ground station · Mukdahan Provincial Stadium, 5.5 km away. Data: OpenAQ · Air4Thai, Pollution Control Department, Thailand · Air4Thai.
Vientiane: Ground station · ໂຮງໝໍມະໂຫສົດ Mahosot Hospital, 1.7 km away · median of 5 stations. Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, UNICEF.
The past week
Which had cleaner air over the past 7 days?
Over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Savannakhet averaged AQI 26 against 36, 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
- Savannakhet5Vientiane2
- Average AQI
- Savannakhet26Vientiane36
- Worst day, AQI
- Savannakhet59Vientiane51
The daily numbers (7 days)
| Day | Savannakhet | Vientiane |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 5 | 18 | 47 |
| Nov 6 | 29 | 34 |
| Nov 7 | 20 | 40 |
| Nov 8 | 17 | 31 |
| Nov 9 | 13 | 24 |
| Nov 10 | 26 | 23 |
| Nov 11 | 59 | 51 |
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 Savannakhet and Vientiane 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 Savannakhet and Vientiane compare with the rest of the world?
Right now Savannakhet's air is cleaner than 53% of the 5,420 places Airleaf tracks, and Vientiane's is cleaner than 28%. Within Laos, that is 75% and 25% of its 5 measured places.
Cleaner air than…
- Savannakhet
- Beats 53%
- Vientiane
- Beats 28%
More tree cover than…
- Savannakhet
- Beats 69%
- Vientiane
- Beats 63%
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, Savannakhet or Vientiane?
Savannakhet has lost more: about 2,270 ha of forest within 10 km of its center from 2001 to 2025, against 263 ha around Vientiane. 2,270 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: 2022, with 194 ha lost.
Worst year: 2010, with 36 ha lost.
| Savannakhet | Vientiane | |
|---|---|---|
| Forest lost since 2001Cleared, burned or logged. | 2,270 ha | 263 ha (better) |
| Share of its forestOf what it had in 2000. | 43% (better) | 53% |
| Cleared for goodTurned into farms, mines or towns. | 2,270 ha | 262 ha (better) |
| Recent trend2021–2025 against the five years before. | Speeding up | Too little to call |
| Main known cause | Farms, pasture and plantations (75%) | Towns and roads (96%) |
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.
Savannakhet
2017: satellite photo from March 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km northeast of the city center.
Vientiane
2017: satellite photo from February 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
Trees
Which has more trees, Savannakhet or Vientiane?
Savannakhet has more tree cover: 30.2% of the land within 2 km of its center against 27.6% around Vientiane, or about 94,686 trees against 78,644.
The dark mark is each place's canopy target: 30% of the land, raised where air quality is poor.
| Savannakhet | Vientiane | |
|---|---|---|
| Trees standingEstimated from the canopy area. | 94.7K (better) | 78.6K |
| Trees still neededTo reach the target. Fewer is better. | 0 (better) | 6.8K |
| CO₂ absorbed each yearBy the trees already standing. | 2.1M kg (better) | 1.7M 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
Savannakhet vs Vientiane: your questions answered
Is Savannakhet cleaner than Vientiane?
On air quality, yes, right now: Savannakhet reads AQI 55 against 85, a gap of 30 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, Savannakhet averaged AQI 26 against 36, and it was the cleaner of the two on 5 of those days.
Is it safe to exercise outdoors in Savannakhet and Vientiane today?
The advice is the same for both today. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion. Savannakhet reads AQI 55 and Vientiane reads AQI 85.
Which has lost more forest, Savannakhet or Vientiane?
Savannakhet has lost more: about 2,270 ha of forest within 10 km of its center from 2001 to 2025, against 263 ha around Vientiane. 2,270 ha of that was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
Which has more trees, Savannakhet or Vientiane?
Savannakhet has more tree cover: 30.2% of the land within 2 km of its center against 27.6% around Vientiane, or about 94,686 trees against 78,644. Both figures describe the same-sized circle of ground around each center, not the whole municipality.
How many more trees do Savannakhet and Vientiane need?
Savannakhet needs about 0 more to reach its canopy target of 30%, and Vientiane about 6,839 to reach 30%. The target starts at 30% of the land and rises where air quality is poor.
Are Savannakhet and Vientiane 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 Savannakhet vs Vientiane 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 (Jun 26, 2026 and Jun 14, 2026), and the forest figures are published yearly.
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