Ulan Bator
2 km around BGD - 1 khoroo
Air quality now
AQI 188
3.7%
tree cover
114K more trees would reach 40% tree cover
Asia · air quality report · 5 cities
Mongolia air quality today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now the 5 cities Airleaf measures in Mongolia average AQI 49 (good). The worst air is in Ulan Bator, at AQI 188, and the cleanest in Erdenet, at AQI 5.
20% of the 5 measured cities are over AQI 100 today, where the air stops being fine for sensitive groups, and 80% have Good air.
Average right now
AQI 49
Good
US EPA index, across 5 cities
- cities measured
- 5
- worst air: Ulan Bator
- 188
- cleanest air: Erdenet
- 5
- average tree cover
- 1.7%
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Mongolia · average AQI 49
Air quality right now in all 5 cities in Mongolia
Unhealthy
Erdenet
2 km around Erdenet
Air quality now
AQI 5
1.0%
tree cover
91.1K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Darhan
2 km around Darkhan
Air quality now
AQI 17
1.1%
tree cover
90.8K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Choibalsan
2 km around Choibalsan
Air quality now
AQI 11
2.7%
tree cover
85.3K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Nalayh
2 km around Nalaikh
Air quality now
AQI 25
0%
tree cover
94.2K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Across the country
How clean is the air across Mongolia today?
20% of the 5 measured cities are over AQI 100 today, where the air stops being fine for sensitive groups, and 80% have Good air. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
5 measured cities
- Good4 (80%)
- Unhealthy1 (20%)
Every measured city, including model estimates where no ground station is near.
Against everywhere else
How does Mongolia compare with other countries?
Right now the cities of Mongolia average cleaner air than 54% of the 171 countries Airleaf has enough cities to average, and more tree cover than 1%.
Cleaner air than…
- Mongolia
- Beats 54%
More tree cover than…
- Mongolia
- Beats 1%
See the most polluted and cleanest air rankings for every country.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Mongolia lost?
Since 2001, Mongolia has lost about 439,000 hectares of forest (about 4,400 km²): 11% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to wildfires, so much of it can grow back. About 2,750 hectares (under 1%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 439,000 haabout 4,400 km²
- Share of its forest
- 11%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 2,750 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 | 435 ha | 20,400 ha | 20,800 ha |
| 2002 | 249 ha | 16,900 ha | 17,200 ha |
| 2003 | 79 ha | 38,100 ha | 38,200 ha |
| 2004 | 133 ha | 52,400 ha | 52,500 ha |
| 2005 | 166 ha | 6,590 ha | 6,760 ha |
| 2006 | 155 ha | 12,700 ha | 12,900 ha |
| 2007 | 226 ha | 47,600 ha | 47,900 ha |
| 2008 | 225 ha | 55,000 ha | 55,200 ha |
| 2009 | 159 ha | 80,500 ha | 80,700 ha |
| 2010 | 155 ha | 8,320 ha | 8,470 ha |
| 2011 | 36 ha | 3,390 ha | 3,430 ha |
| 2012 | 102 ha | 33,800 ha | 33,900 ha |
| 2013 | 11 ha | 604 ha | 615 ha |
| 2014 | 16 ha | 490 ha | 506 ha |
| 2015 | 40 ha | 7,180 ha | 7,220 ha |
| 2016 | 168 ha | 4,070 ha | 4,240 ha |
| 2017 | 62 ha | 25,100 ha | 25,200 ha |
| 2018 | 11 ha | 9,180 ha | 9,200 ha |
| 2019 | 72 ha | 2,740 ha | 2,810 ha |
| 2020 | 60 ha | 436 ha | 496 ha |
| 2021 | 44 ha | 141 ha | 184 ha |
| 2022 | 11 ha | 92 ha | 103 ha |
| 2023 | 48 ha | 435 ha | 483 ha |
| 2024 | 35 ha | 2,670 ha | 2,710 ha |
| 2025 | 49 ha | 7,730 ha | 7,780 ha |
Forest loss is slowing down: about 2,250 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 8,390 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2009, when about 80,700 hectares of forest were lost, mostly to wildfires.
What is causing deforestation in Mongolia?
- Wildfirescan grow back94% · 412,000 ha
- Loggingcan grow back2.6% · 11,400 ha
- Unknown causescause unknown2% · 8,870 ha
Also: storms, floods and other natural causes, mining and energy, farms, pasture and plantations, towns and roads.
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
Mongolia as a whole
9.1% of Mongolia was forested as of 2024, against a 30% benchmark. Closing that gap nationally would take roughly 32.6B trees across 32.6M hectares. Source: World Bank (FAO).
Build your own
Compare Mongolia with another country
This place
Mongolia
Clean-air buying guides
Cleaner air at home in Mongolia
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 Mongolia: your questions answered
What is the air quality in Mongolia today?
Right now the 5 cities Airleaf measures in Mongolia average AQI 49 (good). The worst air is in Ulan Bator, at AQI 188, and the cleanest in Erdenet, at AQI 5. 20% of the 5 measured cities are over AQI 100 today, where the air stops being fine for sensitive groups, and 80% have Good air.
Which city in Mongolia has the worst air right now?
Ulan Bator, at AQI 188 (Unhealthy) on the US EPA index. Everyone should limit long outdoor exertion; sensitive groups more so.
Which city in Mongolia has the cleanest air right now?
Erdenet, at AQI 5 (Good). Both lists rank current readings, from ground stations wherever Mongolia has at least three cities with one.
Is the air in Mongolia safe to breathe today?
It depends on the city. 4 cities are Good, 1 city is Unhealthy. At the national average of AQI 49: Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
How much forest has Mongolia lost since 2001?
About 439,000 ha from 2001 to 2025, 11% of the forest it had in 2000, from the University of Maryland's yearly satellite maps of forest loss. 2,750 ha of it was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
How does Airleaf measure air quality in Mongolia?
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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