City report · South Korea
Daegu Air quality today
Air quality in Daegu currently reads AQI 75 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 75
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 22.0
- tree cover
- 3.6%
- trees in this area
- 11.2K
- more trees needed
- 82.3K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Jongno 1(il)-ga, Jung-gu, Daegu, 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.
Daegu · AQI 75 (Moderate)
Daegu's tree count comes to 11,219 trees across 12.47 km² of land, 26 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 82,275 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Daegu today: AQI 75, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 12, 00:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · 수창동, 800 m away · median of 20 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
22.0
PM10
35.5
NO₂
63.4
O₃
7.4
SO₂
6.0
CO
698.8
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 Daegu's daily AQI at 62 on average, from 46 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 142 on Nov 5.
Where Daegu stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Daegu: Critically low
3.6% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.47 km² of land.
Trees in this area
11,219
Target trees
93,494
More trees needed
82,275
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,810 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Daegu lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Daegu has lost about 354 hectares of forest (about 500 football pitches): 3.7% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was towns and roads (37%). About 132 hectares (37%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from June 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km north of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 354 haabout 500 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 3.7%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 132 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2025, when about 163 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 | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2002 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2004 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2005 | 4 ha | 25 ha | 29 ha |
| 2006 | 5 ha | 8 ha | 12 ha |
| 2007 | 12 ha | 2 ha | 14 ha |
| 2008 | 9 ha | under 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2009 | 18 ha | 8 ha | 26 ha |
| 2010 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2011 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2012 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2013 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2015 | 9 ha | 9 ha | 18 ha |
| 2016 | 17 ha | 5 ha | 21 ha |
| 2017 | 11 ha | under 1 ha | 12 ha |
| 2018 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2019 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2021 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2022 | 6 ha | 2 ha | 8 ha |
| 2023 | 2 ha | 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2024 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2025 | 5 ha | 158 ha | 163 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Daegu?
- Towns and roadscleared for good37% · 132 ha
- Loggingcan grow back17% · 59 ha
- Unknown causescause unknown46% · 163 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
- 11,400 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 11,400 ha
- Overall change
- +20 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Daegu stayed about the same size, at about 11,400 hectares: new forest grew on about 211 hectares, and about 191 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 Daegu
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Gyeongsan-si14.2 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 19%
- Air quality
- 68
- Gumi35.5 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 56%
- Air quality
- 89
- Gimcheon50.8 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 31%
- Air quality
- 78
- Gyeongju56.0 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 13%
- Air quality
- 58
- Yangsan71.1 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 42%
- Air quality
- 60
- Pohang71.9 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 20%
- Air quality
- 71
Also compared:Daegu vs SeoulDaegu vs BusanDaegu vs IncheonDaegu vs Daejeon
Build your own
Compare Daegu with anywhere
This place
Daegu
Use this data
Put Daegu's numbers on your site
Free to embed. Updates itself as the measurement refreshes.
Frequently asked
Questions about Daegu
What is the air quality (AQI) in Daegu right now?
The latest reading for Daegu shows an AQI of 75 (Moderate), measured Nov 12, 00:00 local time by 20 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is 수창동, 800 m away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Daegu today?
At AQI 75 (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 Daegu been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Daegu's daily AQI at 62 on average, from 46 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 142 on Nov 5. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Daegu lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Daegu has lost about 354 hectares of forest (about 500 football pitches): 3.7% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was towns and roads (37%). About 132 hectares (37%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Daegu stayed about the same size, at about 11,400 hectares: new forest grew on about 211 hectares, and about 191 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Daegu?
Daegu has an estimated 11,219 trees across the 12.47 km² of land measured — 3.6% tree cover, 26 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Daegu need?
Daegu needs roughly 82,275 more trees to close a 26-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,810 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Daegu's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Jongno 1(il)-ga, 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 Jongno 1(il)-ga; 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