City report · Sindh, Pakistan
Karachi Air quality today
Air quality in Karachi currently reads AQI 100 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 100
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 35.3
- tree cover
- 1.7%
- trees in this area
- 5.3K
- more trees needed
- 88.9K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Napier Quarter, Karachi, Pakistan (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Oct 24, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Karachi · AQI 100 (Moderate)
Karachi's tree count comes to 5,341 trees across 12.57 km², 28 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 88,907 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Karachi today: AQI 100, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 19:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · NED University City Campus, 1.6 km away · median of 16 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
35.3
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, Hawanama, The Urban Unit, Pakistan Air Quality Initiative (PAQI پاکی)
- 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 Karachi's daily AQI at 79 on average, from 72 on Nov 11 to an hourly peak of 115 on Nov 5.
Where Karachi stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Karachi: Critically low
1.7% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
5,341
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
88,907
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,956 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Karachi lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Karachi has lost about 5 hectares of forest (about 6 football pitches): under 1% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was storms, floods and other natural causes (36%), after which forest can grow back. Almost none of it was deforestation, meaning forest cleared for good.
2017: satellite photo from January 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 5 haabout 6 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- under 1%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- under 1 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 | 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 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 Karachi?
- Storms, floods and other natural causescan grow back36% · 2 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good20% · under 1 ha
- Unknown causescause unknown42% · 2 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
- 663 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 692 ha
- Overall change
- +29 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Karachi grew from about 663 hectares to 692 hectares, a net gain of about 29 hectares (+4.4%). New forest grew on about 34 hectares, while 5 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 Karachi
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Hub21.7 km
Pakistan
- Tree cover
- 2%
- Air quality
- 115
- Hyderabad150.8 km
Pakistan
- Tree cover
- 6%
- Air quality
- 223
- Tando Muhammad Khan157.5 km
Pakistan
- Tree cover
- 13%
- Air quality
- 133
- Manjhand170.2 km
Pakistan
- Tree cover
- 0%
- Air quality
- 151
- Talhar182.9 km
Pakistan
- Tree cover
- 12%
- Air quality
- 148
- Tando Allahyar185.2 km
Pakistan
- Tree cover
- 18%
- Air quality
- 153
Also compared:Karachi vs LahoreKarachi vs IslamabadKarachi vs PeshawarKarachi vs Faisalabad
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Frequently asked
Questions about Karachi
What is the air quality (AQI) in Karachi right now?
The latest reading for Karachi shows an AQI of 100 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 19:00 local time by 16 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is NED University City Campus, 1.6 km away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Karachi today?
At AQI 100 (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 Karachi been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Karachi's daily AQI at 79 on average, from 72 on Nov 11 to an hourly peak of 115 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 Karachi lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Karachi has lost about 5 hectares of forest (about 6 football pitches): under 1% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was storms, floods and other natural causes (36%), after which forest can grow back. Almost none of it was deforestation, meaning forest cleared for good. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Karachi grew from about 663 hectares to 692 hectares, a net gain of about 29 hectares (+4.4%). New forest grew on about 34 hectares, while 5 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Karachi?
Karachi has an estimated 5,341 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 1.7% tree cover, 28 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Karachi need?
Karachi needs roughly 88,907 more trees to close a 28-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,956 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Karachi's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Napier Quarter, 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 Napier Quarter; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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