City report · South Hamgyong, North Korea
Hamhŭng Air quality today
Air quality in Hamhŭng currently reads AQI 57 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 57
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 11.7
- tree cover
- 13.2%
- trees in this area
- 39.4K
- more trees needed
- 50.1K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Songchongang-guyok, Hamhung, South Hamgyong, North Korea (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 3, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Hamhŭng · AQI 57 (Moderate)
Hamhŭng's tree count comes to 39,396 trees across 11.94 km² of land, 17 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 50,140 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Hamhŭng today: AQI 57, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 01:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 5 ground-station cities within 245 km, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Estimate · model corrected with 5 station cities within 245 km, e.g. Chuncheon-si and Kaesŏng
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
11.7
PM10
23.9
NO₂
4.4
O₃
47.0
SO₂
1.7
CO
194.0
- 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 Hamhŭng's daily AQI at 40 on average, from 24 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 103 on Nov 5.
Where Hamhŭng stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Hamhŭng: Critically low
13.2% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 11.94 km² of land.
Trees in this area
39,396
Target trees
89,536
More trees needed
50,140
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,103 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Hamhŭng lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Hamhŭng has lost about 12 hectares of forest (about 16 football pitches): 2.6% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to wildfires, so much of it can grow back. Almost none of it was deforestation, meaning forest cleared for good.
2017: satellite photo from August 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 12 haabout 16 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 2.6%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- under 1 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2004, when about 10 hectares of forest were lost, mostly to wildfires.
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | 10 ha | 10 ha |
| 2005 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2017 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Hamhŭng?
- Wildfirescan grow back84% · 10 ha
- Loggingcan grow back10% · 1 ha
- Unknown causescause unknown3.4% · under 1 ha
Also: farms, pasture and plantations.
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
- 1,750 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 2,620 ha
- Overall change
- +876 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Hamhŭng grew from about 1,750 hectares to 2,620 hectares, a net gain of about 876 hectares (+50%). New forest grew on about 889 hectares, while 14 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 Hamhŭng
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Sinp’o57.7 km
North Korea
- Tree cover
- 31%
- Air quality
- 55
- Wŏnsan85.5 km
North Korea
- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 58
- Tŏkch’ŏn110.7 km
North Korea
- Tree cover
- 12%
- Air quality
- 116
- Changam-ch’on130.5 km
North Korea
- Tree cover
- 61%
- Air quality
- 56
- Kanggye141.9 km
North Korea
- Tree cover
- 34%
- Air quality
- 114
- Kaech’ŏn142.4 km
North Korea
- Tree cover
- 14%
- Air quality
- 173
Also compared:Hamhŭng vs PyongyangHamhŭng vs Namp’oHamhŭng vs Sunch’ŏnHamhŭng vs Kaesŏng
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Frequently asked
Questions about Hamhŭng
What is the air quality (AQI) in Hamhŭng right now?
The latest reading for Hamhŭng shows an AQI of 57 (Moderate), observed Nov 11, 01:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 5 ground-station cities within 245 km, US EPA index. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Hamhŭng today?
At AQI 57 (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 Hamhŭng been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Hamhŭng's daily AQI at 40 on average, from 24 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 103 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 Hamhŭng lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Hamhŭng has lost about 12 hectares of forest (about 16 football pitches): 2.6% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to wildfires, so much of it can grow back. Almost none of it was deforestation, meaning forest cleared for good. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Hamhŭng grew from about 1,750 hectares to 2,620 hectares, a net gain of about 876 hectares (+50%). New forest grew on about 889 hectares, while 14 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Hamhŭng?
Hamhŭng has an estimated 39,396 trees across the 11.94 km² of land measured — 13.2% tree cover, 17 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Hamhŭng need?
Hamhŭng needs roughly 50,140 more trees to close a 17-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,103 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Hamhŭng's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality comes from ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ where one reports nearby, and otherwise, as here, from the Open-Meteo / CAMS model, which may differ from street-level monitors. 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 Songchongang-guyok; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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