City report · Yunnan, China
Kunming Air quality today
Air quality in Kunming currently reads AQI 55 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 55
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 11.0
- tree cover
- 13.6%
- trees in this area
- 42.7K
- more trees needed
- 51.5K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Panlong District, Kunming, Yunnan, China (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 2, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Kunming · AQI 55 (Moderate)
Kunming's tree count comes to 42,726 trees across 12.57 km², 16 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 51,522 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Kunming today: AQI 55, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 12, 01:00 local time via World Air Quality Index Project ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Dongfeng East Road, Kunming (昆明东风东路), 400 m away · median of 5 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
11.0
PM10
20.5
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: World Air Quality Index Project, Yunnan Environmental Protection Agency (云南省环境保护厅)
- 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 Kunming's daily AQI at 45 on average, from 21 on Nov 9 to an hourly peak of 119 on Nov 10.
Where Kunming stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Kunming: Critically low
13.6% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
42,726
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
51,522
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,133 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Kunming lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Kunming has lost about 287 hectares of forest (about 400 football pitches): 11% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (69%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2018: satellite photo from February 2018 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km northeast of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 287 haabout 400 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 11%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 199 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2020, when about 49 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2002 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2004 | 6 ha | 1 ha | 7 ha |
| 2005 | 4 ha | 2 ha | 6 ha |
| 2006 | 7 ha | 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2007 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2008 | 11 ha | 1 ha | 12 ha |
| 2009 | 7 ha | 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2010 | 1 ha | 12 ha | 14 ha |
| 2011 | 11 ha | 5 ha | 16 ha |
| 2012 | 5 ha | 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2013 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2014 | 11 ha | 7 ha | 18 ha |
| 2015 | 3 ha | 9 ha | 12 ha |
| 2016 | 12 ha | 13 ha | 25 ha |
| 2017 | 12 ha | 13 ha | 25 ha |
| 2018 | 9 ha | 6 ha | 15 ha |
| 2019 | 13 ha | under 1 ha | 13 ha |
| 2020 | 43 ha | 7 ha | 49 ha |
| 2021 | 15 ha | 1 ha | 16 ha |
| 2022 | 16 ha | 1 ha | 17 ha |
| 2023 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2024 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2025 | 4 ha | 2 ha | 6 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Kunming?
- Towns and roadscleared for good52% · 149 ha
- Loggingcan grow back29% · 83 ha
- Mining and energycleared for good14% · 40 ha
Also: farms, pasture and plantations, storms, floods and other natural causes, unknown causes.
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
- 3,150 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 3,310 ha
- Overall change
- +163 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Kunming grew from about 3,150 hectares to 3,310 hectares, a net gain of about 163 hectares (+5.2%). New forest grew on about 556 hectares, while 394 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
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Frequently asked
Questions about Kunming
What is the air quality (AQI) in Kunming right now?
The latest reading for Kunming shows an AQI of 55 (Moderate), measured Nov 12, 01:00 local time by 5 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Dongfeng East Road, Kunming (昆明东风东路), 400 m away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Kunming today?
At AQI 55 (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 Kunming been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Kunming's daily AQI at 45 on average, from 21 on Nov 9 to an hourly peak of 119 on Nov 10. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Kunming lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Kunming has lost about 287 hectares of forest (about 400 football pitches): 11% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (69%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Kunming grew from about 3,150 hectares to 3,310 hectares, a net gain of about 163 hectares (+5.2%). New forest grew on about 556 hectares, while 394 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Kunming?
Kunming has an estimated 42,726 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 13.6% tree cover, 16 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Kunming need?
Kunming needs roughly 51,522 more trees to close a 16-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,133 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Kunming's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Panlong District, 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 Panlong District; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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