Phnom Penh
2 km around Sangkat Ou Ruessei Ti Pir
Air quality now
AQI 55
7.0%
tree cover
71.2K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Asia · air quality report · 5 cities
Cambodia air quality today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now the 5 cities Airleaf measures in Cambodia average AQI 53 (moderate). The worst air is in Siem Reap, at AQI 82, and the cleanest in Paoy Paet, at AQI 38.
At ground stations alone, which measure rather than estimate, the average is AQI 58 across 3 cities. None of the 5 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 40% have Good air.
Average right now
AQI 53
Moderate
US EPA index, across 5 cities
- cities measured
- 5
- worst air: Siem Reap
- 82
- cleanest air: Paoy Paet
- 38
- average tree cover
- 19.4%
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Cambodia · average AQI 53
Air quality right now in all 5 cities in Cambodia
Moderate
Takeo
2 km around Doun Kaev
Air quality now
AQI 64
10.5%
tree cover
60.8K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Siem Reap
2 km around Krong Siem Reap
Air quality now
AQI 82
31.6%
tree cover
Healthy tree cover
Battambang
2 km around Phum Prek Mohatep
Air quality now
AQI 28
34.4%
tree cover
Healthy tree cover
Paoy Paet
2 km around Krong Poi Pet
Air quality now
AQI 38
13.4%
tree cover
52.1K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Across the country
How clean is the air across Cambodia today?
None of the 5 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 40% have Good air. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
5 measured cities
- Good2 (40%)
- Moderate3 (60%)
Every measured city, including model estimates where no ground station is near.
Against everywhere else
How does Cambodia compare with other countries?
Right now the cities of Cambodia average cleaner air than 49% of the 171 countries Airleaf has enough cities to average, and more tree cover than 39%.
Cleaner air than…
- Cambodia
- Beats 49%
More tree cover than…
- Cambodia
- Beats 39%
See the most polluted and cleanest air rankings for every country.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Cambodia lost?
Since 2001, Cambodia has lost about 2.97 million hectares of forest (about 30,000 km²): 34% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (96%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 2.97 million haabout 30,000 km²
- Share of its forest
- 34%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 2.84 million hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 25,200 ha | 3,210 ha | 28,400 ha |
| 2002 | 52,300 ha | 2,530 ha | 54,800 ha |
| 2003 | 53,600 ha | 3,140 ha | 56,800 ha |
| 2004 | 75,000 ha | 3,980 ha | 79,000 ha |
| 2005 | 61,300 ha | 3,290 ha | 64,600 ha |
| 2006 | 73,500 ha | 5,960 ha | 79,500 ha |
| 2007 | 72,600 ha | 4,380 ha | 77,000 ha |
| 2008 | 80,000 ha | 2,300 ha | 82,300 ha |
| 2009 | 114,000 ha | 6,750 ha | 121,000 ha |
| 2010 | 229,000 ha | 7,970 ha | 237,000 ha |
| 2011 | 188,000 ha | 3,930 ha | 192,000 ha |
| 2012 | 189,000 ha | 5,870 ha | 195,000 ha |
| 2013 | 186,000 ha | 4,080 ha | 190,000 ha |
| 2014 | 157,000 ha | 4,560 ha | 161,000 ha |
| 2015 | 128,000 ha | 5,060 ha | 133,000 ha |
| 2016 | 175,000 ha | 7,140 ha | 182,000 ha |
| 2017 | 112,000 ha | 5,870 ha | 117,000 ha |
| 2018 | 109,000 ha | 3,270 ha | 113,000 ha |
| 2019 | 136,000 ha | 5,730 ha | 142,000 ha |
| 2020 | 136,000 ha | 6,340 ha | 142,000 ha |
| 2021 | 137,000 ha | 5,660 ha | 143,000 ha |
| 2022 | 98,600 ha | 4,700 ha | 103,000 ha |
| 2023 | 115,000 ha | 5,800 ha | 121,000 ha |
| 2024 | 85,600 ha | 7,860 ha | 93,400 ha |
| 2025 | 49,700 ha | 8,620 ha | 58,300 ha |
Forest loss is slowing down: about 104,000 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 139,000 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2010, when about 237,000 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in Cambodia?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good94% · 2.8 million ha
- Shifting farmingcan grow back1.6% · 48,100 ha
- Loggingcan grow back1.4% · 42,100 ha
Also: mining and energy, wildfires, storms, floods and other natural causes, towns and roads, unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
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. How it's measured
Cambodia as a whole
37.6% of Cambodia was forested as of 2024, against a 30% benchmark. That already clears the benchmark — the city reports above show where cover is still thin locally. Source: World Bank (FAO).
Build your own
Compare Cambodia with another country
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Cambodia
Clean-air buying guides
Cleaner air at home in Cambodia
Picked by tested clean-air delivery rate (CADR), noise and running cost, from independent test labels. No brand pays to be listed.
- The best air purifiers for wildfire smoke and smog
Air purifiers that keep up with wildfire smoke and winter smog, ranked by verified smoke CADR, with the room each one clears on a smoky day.
- The best air purifiers under $200
Good HEPA air purifiers under $200 at the makers' own prices, compared on verified clean air, room size and what the filters cost each year.
- NIOSH-approved N95 masks for smoke and smog
NIOSH-approved N95 masks and P100 respirators for smog and smoke, and how to get the fit right. Cloth and surgical masks do little against PM2.5.
Frequently asked
Air quality in Cambodia: your questions answered
What is the air quality in Cambodia today?
Right now the 5 cities Airleaf measures in Cambodia average AQI 53 (moderate). The worst air is in Siem Reap, at AQI 82, and the cleanest in Paoy Paet, at AQI 38. At ground stations alone, which measure rather than estimate, the average is AQI 58 across 3 cities. None of the 5 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 40% have Good air.
Which city in Cambodia has the worst air right now?
Siem Reap, at AQI 82 (Moderate) on the US EPA index. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Which city in Cambodia has the cleanest air right now?
Paoy Paet, at AQI 38 (Good). Both lists rank current readings, from ground stations wherever Cambodia has at least three cities with one.
Is the air in Cambodia safe to breathe today?
It depends on the city. 2 cities are Good, 3 cities are Moderate. At the national average of AQI 53: Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
How much forest has Cambodia lost since 2001?
About 2.97 million ha from 2001 to 2025, 34% of the forest it had in 2000, from the University of Maryland's yearly satellite maps of forest loss. 2.84 million ha of it was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
How does Airleaf measure air quality in Cambodia?
Each city's reading is the US EPA air quality index, from ground monitoring stations where one has reported recently nearby, and from the CAMS atmospheric model elsewhere; each city's report says which. Tree cover is measured over the same 2 km radius in every city, so the cities compare like for like.
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