City report · South Sumatra, Indonesia
Palembang Air quality today
Air quality in Palembang currently reads AQI 88 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 88
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 28.7
- tree cover
- 24.6%
- trees in this area
- 77.3K
- more trees needed
- 17.0K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Palembang, Palembang City, South Sumatra, Indonesia (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 8, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Palembang · AQI 88 (Moderate)
Palembang's tree count comes to 77,283 trees across 12.57 km², 5 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 16,965 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Palembang today: AQI 88, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 20:00 local time via World Air Quality Index Project ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Talang Betutu Palembang, Indonesia, 5.7 km away
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
28.7
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: World Air Quality Index Project, BMKG | Badan Meteorologi, Klimatologi dan Geofisika
- 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 Palembang's daily AQI at 74 on average, from 66 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 108 on Nov 10.
This is the US EPA AQI. How it differs from Indonesia's ISPU
Where Palembang stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Palembang: Below target
24.6% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
77,283
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
16,965
CO₂ if planted / yr
373.2 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Palembang lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Palembang has lost about 5,540 hectares of forest (about 7,800 football pitches): 44% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (94%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 6 km northeast of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 5,540 haabout 7,800 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 44%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 5,180 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss is slowing down: about 103 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 337 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2012, when about 570 hectares of forest were lost.
Palembang's full deforestation reportHectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 22 ha | under 1 ha | 22 ha |
| 2002 | 24 ha | under 1 ha | 24 ha |
| 2003 | 81 ha | 9 ha | 89 ha |
| 2004 | 56 ha | 5 ha | 60 ha |
| 2005 | 187 ha | 7 ha | 194 ha |
| 2006 | 73 ha | 4 ha | 78 ha |
| 2007 | 146 ha | 8 ha | 154 ha |
| 2008 | 372 ha | 2 ha | 374 ha |
| 2009 | 236 ha | 11 ha | 247 ha |
| 2010 | 228 ha | 3 ha | 231 ha |
| 2011 | 409 ha | 1 ha | 410 ha |
| 2012 | 550 ha | 20 ha | 570 ha |
| 2013 | 152 ha | 5 ha | 157 ha |
| 2014 | 365 ha | 26 ha | 391 ha |
| 2015 | 333 ha | 8 ha | 341 ha |
| 2016 | 298 ha | 35 ha | 333 ha |
| 2017 | 287 ha | 12 ha | 299 ha |
| 2018 | 340 ha | 42 ha | 382 ha |
| 2019 | 307 ha | 25 ha | 332 ha |
| 2020 | 238 ha | 103 ha | 341 ha |
| 2021 | 82 ha | 6 ha | 88 ha |
| 2022 | 81 ha | 2 ha | 83 ha |
| 2023 | 89 ha | 7 ha | 96 ha |
| 2024 | 123 ha | 11 ha | 134 ha |
| 2025 | 105 ha | 8 ha | 113 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Palembang?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good68% · 3,780 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good25% · 1,380 ha
- Wildfirescan grow back6.4% · 356 ha
Also: mining and energy, 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
- 9,660 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 7,890 ha
- Overall change
- −1,770 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Palembang shrank from about 9,660 hectares to 7,890 hectares, a net loss of about 1,770 hectares (−18%). New forest grew on about 1,200 hectares, but 2,970 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 Palembang
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Prabumulih81.2 km
Indonesia
- Tree cover
- 47%
- Air quality
- 121
- Baturaja149.3 km
Indonesia
- Tree cover
- 43%
- Air quality
- 95
- Pangkalpinang175.4 km
Indonesia
- Tree cover
- 9%
- Air quality
- 48
- Sungailiat193.2 km
Indonesia
- Tree cover
- 26%
- Air quality
- 43
- Lubuklinggau213.4 km
Indonesia
- Tree cover
- 21%
- Air quality
- 59
Also compared:Palembang vs JakartaPalembang vs SurabayaPalembang vs BandungPalembang vs Medan
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Frequently asked
Questions about Palembang
What is the air quality (AQI) in Palembang right now?
The latest reading for Palembang shows an AQI of 88 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 20:00 local time by the Talang Betutu Palembang, Indonesia ground monitoring station, 5.7 km away, via OpenAQ. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Palembang today?
At AQI 88 (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 Palembang been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Palembang's daily AQI at 74 on average, from 66 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 108 on Nov 10. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Is Palembang's AQI the same as Indonesia's ISPU?
No. Airleaf shows the US EPA Air Quality Index (AQI), the scale used by IQAir and most air-quality apps. Indonesia's official index is the ISPU (Indeks Standar Pencemar Udara), published by the environment ministry from its own monitoring stations. Its bands are 0–50 Baik (good), 51–100 Sedang (moderate), 101–200 Tidak Sehat (unhealthy), 201–300 Sangat Tidak Sehat (very unhealthy) and over 300 Berbahaya (hazardous). The two indexes use different breakpoints and averaging times, so the same air can score differently on each.
How much forest has the area around Palembang lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Palembang has lost about 5,540 hectares of forest (about 7,800 football pitches): 44% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (94%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations. Forest loss is slowing down: about 103 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 337 hectares a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Palembang shrank from about 9,660 hectares to 7,890 hectares, a net loss of about 1,770 hectares (−18%). New forest grew on about 1,200 hectares, but 2,970 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Palembang?
Palembang has an estimated 77,283 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 24.6% tree cover, 5 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Palembang need?
Palembang needs roughly 16,965 more trees to close a 5-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 373.2 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Palembang's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Palembang, 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 Palembang; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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