City report · Busan, South Korea
Busan Air quality today
Air quality in Busan currently reads AQI 71 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 71
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 20.0
- tree cover
- 19.6%
- trees in this area
- 49.6K
- more trees needed
- 26.3K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Junggu-ro 44beon-gil, Jung-gu, Busan, South Korea (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 12, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Busan · AQI 71 (Moderate)
Busan's tree count comes to 49,568 trees across 10.12 km² of land, 10 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 26,301 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Busan today: AQI 71, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 12, 01:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · 광복동, 200 m away · median of 17 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
20.0
PM10
36.0
NO₂
52.5
O₃
10.6
SO₂
7.9
CO
475.4
Data: OpenAQ · Korea Air Ministry of Environment, Korea Environment Corporation · AirKorea
- Outdoor exercise
- 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
- Mask
- Not needed for most people
- Air purifier
- Worth running if you are sensitive
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Busan's daily AQI at 55 on average, from 47 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 122 on Nov 11.
Where Busan stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Busan: Below target
19.6% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 10.12 km² of land.
Trees in this area
49,568
Target trees
75,869
More trees needed
26,301
CO₂ if planted / yr
578.6 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Busan lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Busan has lost about 91 hectares of forest (about 130 football pitches): 1.6% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (81%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from September 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 91 haabout 130 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 1.6%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 74 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2004, when about 18 hectares of forest were lost.
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 3 ha | 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2002 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2003 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2004 | 12 ha | 6 ha | 18 ha |
| 2005 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2006 | 5 ha | 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2007 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2008 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2009 | 11 ha | 1 ha | 12 ha |
| 2010 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2011 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2012 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2013 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2014 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2016 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2017 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2020 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2021 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2023 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2024 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 2 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Busan?
- Towns and roadscleared for good81% · 74 ha
- Loggingcan grow back7.6% · 7 ha
- Unknown causescause unknown11% · 10 ha
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 6,350 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 6,570 ha
- Overall change
- +222 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Busan grew from about 6,350 hectares to 6,570 hectares, a net gain of about 222 hectares (+3.5%). New forest grew on about 294 hectares, while 71 hectares were lost.
These 2000 and 2020 maps, from the University of Maryland, count any land with trees taller than 5 m as forest, including plantations and orchards. Forest that was cut or burned and had grown back by 2020 counts in both years, so the loss here is smaller than the yearly figures.
These figures cover everything within 10 km of the city center, a wider area than the report above, because forest is usually lost at a city's edges.
Source: Hansen/UMD/Google/USGS/NASA, Global Forest Change (GFC-2025-v1.13); causes: WRI/Google DeepMind drivers of forest loss; both CC BY 4.0, summed by Airleaf for each area. Forest gained and lost 2000–2020: Potapov et al. 2022, UMD GLAD Global Land Cover and Land Use Change, CC BY 4.0. Images: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data. How it's measured
In the same region
Measured cities near Busan
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Kimhae20.0 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 28%
- Air quality
- 68
- Gijang23.0 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 62%
- Air quality
- 65
- Yangsan26.7 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 42%
- Air quality
- 64
- Changwon34.7 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 32%
- Air quality
- 67
- Geoje43.6 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 79%
- Air quality
- 66
- Ulsan55.0 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 17%
- Air quality
- 66
Also compared:Busan vs SeoulBusan vs IncheonBusan vs DaeguBusan vs Daejeon
Build your own
Compare Busan with anywhere
This place
Busan
Use this data
Put Busan's numbers on your site
Free to embed. Updates itself as the measurement refreshes.
Frequently asked
Questions about Busan
What is the air quality (AQI) in Busan right now?
The latest reading for Busan shows an AQI of 71 (Moderate), measured Nov 12, 01:00 local time by 17 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is 광복동, 200 m away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Busan today?
At AQI 71 (Moderate): 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. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.
What has the air quality in Busan been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Busan's daily AQI at 55 on average, from 47 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 122 on Nov 11. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Busan lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Busan has lost about 91 hectares of forest (about 130 football pitches): 1.6% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (81%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Busan grew from about 6,350 hectares to 6,570 hectares, a net gain of about 222 hectares (+3.5%). New forest grew on about 294 hectares, while 71 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Busan?
Busan has an estimated 49,568 trees across the 10.12 km² of land measured — 19.6% tree cover, 10 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Busan need?
Busan needs roughly 26,301 more trees to close a 10-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 578.6 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Busan's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Junggu-ro 44beon-gil, via OpenAQ; the 7-day trend is the Open-Meteo / CAMS model's estimate. Tree cover is measured from Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search satellite imagery at 10 m detail across a 2 km radius around Junggu-ro 44beon-gil; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
See your own area
What does your neighborhood look like?
Pick any point and radius to get the same air-quality and tree-cover breakdown.
Check my address