City report · Thailand
Chiang Mai Air quality today
Air quality in Chiang Mai currently reads AQI 51 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 51
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 9.1
- tree cover
- 19.8%
- trees in this area
- 62.1K
- more trees needed
- 32.0K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Old City อำเภอเมืองเชียงใหม่ เชียงใหม่ Thailand (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Jun 2, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Chiang Mai · AQI 51 (Moderate)
Chiang Mai's tree count comes to 62,079 trees across 12.54 km² of land, 10 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 31,980 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Chiang Mai today: AQI 51, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 22:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Yupparaj Wittayalai School, 600 m away · median of 2 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
9.1
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · Air4Thai, Pollution Control Department, Thailand · Air4Thai
- 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 Chiang Mai's daily AQI at 48 on average, from 31 on Nov 10 to an hourly peak of 79 on Nov 4.
Where Chiang Mai stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Chiang Mai: Below target
19.8% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.54 km² of land.
Trees in this area
62,079
Target trees
94,059
More trees needed
31,980
CO₂ if planted / yr
703.6 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Chiang Mai lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Chiang Mai has lost about 178 hectares of forest (about 250 football pitches): 2.9% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (87%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from February 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 178 haabout 250 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 2.9%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 155 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2004, when about 21 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 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2002 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2003 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2004 | 19 ha | 2 ha | 21 ha |
| 2005 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2006 | 7 ha | 2 ha | 8 ha |
| 2007 | 7 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2008 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2009 | 13 ha | 1 ha | 14 ha |
| 2010 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2011 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2012 | 7 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2013 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2014 | 11 ha | under 1 ha | 11 ha |
| 2015 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2016 | 9 ha | 10 ha | 19 ha |
| 2017 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2018 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2019 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2020 | 6 ha | under 1 ha | 7 ha |
| 2021 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2022 | 9 ha | under 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2023 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2024 | 6 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2025 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Chiang Mai?
- Towns and roadscleared for good80% · 143 ha
- Shifting farmingcan grow back8% · 14 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good6.5% · 12 ha
Also: storms, floods and other natural causes, unknown causes.
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
- 12,900 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 13,500 ha
- Overall change
- +626 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Chiang Mai grew from about 12,900 hectares to 13,500 hectares, a net gain of about 626 hectares (+4.9%). New forest grew on about 1,010 hectares, while 383 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 Chiang Mai
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Ban Khoan208.5 km
Laos
- Tree cover
- 47%
- Air quality
- 60
- Taungoo268.9 km
Myanmar
- Tree cover
- 50%
- Air quality
- 17
- Thaton269.3 km
Myanmar
- Tree cover
- 66%
- Air quality
- 14
- Kēng Tung285.5 km
Myanmar
- Tree cover
- 33%
- Air quality
- 23
- Mawlamyine293.4 km
Myanmar
- Tree cover
- 41%
- Air quality
- 18
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Frequently asked
Questions about Chiang Mai
What is the air quality (AQI) in Chiang Mai right now?
The latest reading for Chiang Mai shows an AQI of 51 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 22:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Yupparaj Wittayalai School, 600 m away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Chiang Mai today?
At AQI 51 (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 Chiang Mai been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Chiang Mai's daily AQI at 48 on average, from 31 on Nov 10 to an hourly peak of 79 on Nov 4. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Chiang Mai lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Chiang Mai has lost about 178 hectares of forest (about 250 football pitches): 2.9% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (87%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Chiang Mai grew from about 12,900 hectares to 13,500 hectares, a net gain of about 626 hectares (+4.9%). New forest grew on about 1,010 hectares, while 383 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Chiang Mai?
Chiang Mai has an estimated 62,079 trees across the 12.54 km² of land measured — 19.8% tree cover, 10 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Chiang Mai need?
Chiang Mai needs roughly 31,980 more trees to close a 10-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 703.6 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Chiang Mai's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Old City อำเภอเมืองเชียงใหม่ เชียงใหม่ Thailand, 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 Old City อำเภอเมืองเชียงใหม่ เชียงใหม่ Thailand; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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