Air quality comparison · Cambodia, 282 km apart
Siem Reap vs Takeo Air quality index (AQI) today
Takeo has cleaner air than Siem Reap right now: AQI 13 (Good) against 47 (Good).
Both sit in the same EPA band, so the health advice is the same for each today. But over the past 6 days, on modeled daily averages, Siem Reap averaged AQI 32 against 58, and it was the cleaner of the two on 6 of those days. Siem Reap has lost more forest since 2001. Siem Reap has more tree cover.
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Siem Reap47Takeo13
Head to head
Siem Reap vs Takeo at a glance
Siem Reap and Takeo are level, each ahead on 3 of 6 measures. The better figure in each row is marked.
| Siem Reap | Takeo | |
|---|---|---|
| Air quality nowUS AQI. Lower is better. | 47 | 13 (better) |
| PM2.5Fine particles, µg/m³. | 8.4 | 2.7 (better) |
| Past week's averageUS AQI, 6 days. | 32 (better) | 58 |
| Forest lost since 2001Within 10 km of the center. | 64 ha | 9 ha (better) |
| Tree coverWithin 2 km of the center. | 31.6% (better) | 10.5% |
| Trees still neededTo reach a healthy canopy. | 0 (better) | 60.8K |
Air quality today
What is the air like in Siem Reap and Takeo right now?
Takeo has cleaner air than Siem Reap right now: AQI 13 (Good) against 47 (Good). PM2.5 is setting the index in both.
Siem Reap is read from a nearby ground station and Takeo is a model estimate, so the two are not quite like for like.
Siem ReapTakeo
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).
Siem Reap: Ground station · Mondul 2, 400 m away · median of 2 stations. Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, SR-EXT-P, SR-EXT-C.
Takeo: Estimate · model corrected with 5 station cities within 225 km, e.g. Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh City. Data: Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 5 ground-station cities within 225 km, US EPA index.
The past week
Which had cleaner air over the past 6 days?
But over the past 6 days, on modeled daily averages, Siem Reap averaged AQI 32 against 58, and it was the cleaner of the two on 6 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
- Siem Reap6Takeo0
- Average AQI
- Siem Reap32Takeo58
- Worst day, AQI
- Siem Reap45Takeo67
The daily numbers (6 days)
| Day | Siem Reap | Takeo |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 5 | 44 | 63 |
| Nov 6 | 45 | 67 |
| Nov 7 | 27 | 60 |
| Nov 8 | 38 | 61 |
| Nov 9 | 24 | 53 |
| Nov 10 | 12 | 43 |
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 Siem Reap and Takeo 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 Siem Reap and Takeo compare with the rest of the world?
Right now Siem Reap's air is cleaner than 64% of the 5,420 places Airleaf tracks, and Takeo's is cleaner than 94%. Within Cambodia, that is 0% and 100% of its 5 measured places.
Cleaner air than…
- Siem Reap
- Beats 64%
- Takeo
- Beats 94%
More tree cover than…
- Siem Reap
- Beats 72%
- Takeo
- Beats 22%
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, Siem Reap or Takeo?
Siem Reap has lost more: about 64 ha of forest within 10 km of its center from 2001 to 2025, against 9 ha around Takeo. 25 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: 2024, with 19 ha lost.
Worst year: 2020, with 2 ha lost.
| Siem Reap | Takeo | |
|---|---|---|
| Forest lost since 2001Cleared, burned or logged. | 64 ha | 9 ha (better) |
| Cleared for goodTurned into farms, mines or towns. | 25 ha | 1 ha (better) |
| Recent trend2021–2025 against the five years before. | Too little to call | Too little to call |
| Main known cause | Wildfires (35%) | Logging (53%) |
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.
Siem Reap
2017: satellite photo from February 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
Takeo
2017: satellite photo from April 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
Trees
Which has more trees, Siem Reap or Takeo?
Siem Reap has more tree cover: 31.6% of the land within 2 km of its center against 10.5% around Takeo, or about 99,274 trees against 32,723.
The dark mark is each place's canopy target: 30% of the land, raised where air quality is poor.
| Siem Reap | Takeo | |
|---|---|---|
| Trees standingEstimated from the canopy area. | 99.3K (better) | 32.7K |
| Trees still neededTo reach the target. Fewer is better. | 0 (better) | 60.8K |
| CO₂ absorbed each yearBy the trees already standing. | 2.2M kg (better) | 720K 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
Siem Reap vs Takeo: your questions answered
Is Takeo cleaner than Siem Reap?
On air quality, yes, right now: Takeo reads AQI 13 against 47, a gap of 34 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 6 days, on modeled daily averages, Siem Reap averaged AQI 32 against 58, and it was the cleaner of the two on 6 of those days.
Is it safe to exercise outdoors in Siem Reap and Takeo today?
The advice is the same for both today. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone. Siem Reap reads AQI 47 and Takeo reads AQI 13.
Which has lost more forest, Siem Reap or Takeo?
Siem Reap has lost more: about 64 ha of forest within 10 km of its center from 2001 to 2025, against 9 ha around Takeo. 25 ha of that was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
Which has more trees, Siem Reap or Takeo?
Siem Reap has more tree cover: 31.6% of the land within 2 km of its center against 10.5% around Takeo, or about 99,274 trees against 32,723. Both figures describe the same-sized circle of ground around each center, not the whole municipality.
How many more trees do Siem Reap and Takeo need?
Siem Reap needs about 0 more to reach its canopy target of 30%, and Takeo about 60,771 to reach 30%. The target starts at 30% of the land and rises where air quality is poor.
Are Siem Reap and Takeo 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. Siem Reap is read from a nearby ground station and Takeo is a model estimate, so the two are not quite like for like. Nothing is adjusted for population, city limits or climate.
How often does the Siem Reap vs Takeo 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 (Jul 21, 2026 and Jul 25, 2026), and the forest figures are published yearly.
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