City report · Cambodia
Phnom Penh Air quality today
Air quality in Phnom Penh currently reads AQI 56 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 56
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 11.8
- tree cover
- 7.0%
- trees in this area
- 21.7K
- more trees needed
- 71.2K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Sangkat Ou Ruessei Ti Pir, Phnom Penh, Cambodia (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Jun 18, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Phnom Penh · AQI 56 (Moderate)
Phnom Penh's tree count comes to 21,661 trees across 12.38 km² of land, 23 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 71,173 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Phnom Penh today: AQI 56, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 23:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Civil Engineering, NPIC, 13.2 km away
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
11.8
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, Kouk Roka
- 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 Phnom Penh's daily AQI at 52 on average, from 30 on Nov 11 to an hourly peak of 96 on Nov 5.
Where Phnom Penh stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Phnom Penh: Critically low
7.0% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.38 km² of land.
Trees in this area
21,661
Target trees
92,834
More trees needed
71,173
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,566 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Phnom Penh lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Phnom Penh has lost about 158 hectares of forest (about 220 football pitches): 13% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (93%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
2017: satellite photo from April 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 158 haabout 220 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 13%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 147 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2015, when about 31 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 | 4 ha |
| 2002 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2003 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2004 | 7 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2005 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2006 | 16 ha | 2 ha | 18 ha |
| 2007 | 7 ha | 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2008 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2009 | 7 ha | under 1 ha | 7 ha |
| 2010 | 10 ha | under 1 ha | 10 ha |
| 2011 | 16 ha | 2 ha | 18 ha |
| 2012 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2013 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2014 | 14 ha | under 1 ha | 14 ha |
| 2015 | 30 ha | under 1 ha | 31 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 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2022 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2023 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 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 Phnom Penh?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good49% · 77 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good44% · 70 ha
- Unknown causescause unknown6.2% · 10 ha
Also: storms, floods and other natural 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
- 424 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 623 ha
- Overall change
- +199 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Phnom Penh grew from about 424 hectares to 623 hectares, a net gain of about 199 hectares (+47%). New forest grew on about 236 hectares, while 37 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 Phnom Penh
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Tân Châu92.0 km
Vietnam
- Tree cover
- 48%
- Air quality
- 29
- Hồng Ngự97.1 km
Vietnam
- Tree cover
- 14%
- Air quality
- 29
- Tịnh Biên107.5 km
Vietnam
- Tree cover
- 22%
- Air quality
- 57
- Hòa Thành135.8 km
Vietnam
- Tree cover
- 33%
- Air quality
- 16
- Hà Tiên139.2 km
Vietnam
- Tree cover
- 47%
- Air quality
- 41
Also compared:Phnom Penh vs Siem Reap
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Frequently asked
Questions about Phnom Penh
What is the air quality (AQI) in Phnom Penh right now?
The latest reading for Phnom Penh shows an AQI of 56 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 23:00 local time by the Civil Engineering, NPIC ground monitoring station, 13.2 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 Phnom Penh today?
At AQI 56 (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 Phnom Penh been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Phnom Penh's daily AQI at 52 on average, from 30 on Nov 11 to an hourly peak of 96 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 Phnom Penh lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Phnom Penh has lost about 158 hectares of forest (about 220 football pitches): 13% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (93%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Phnom Penh grew from about 424 hectares to 623 hectares, a net gain of about 199 hectares (+47%). New forest grew on about 236 hectares, while 37 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Phnom Penh?
Phnom Penh has an estimated 21,661 trees across the 12.38 km² of land measured — 7.0% tree cover, 23 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Phnom Penh need?
Phnom Penh needs roughly 71,173 more trees to close a 23-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,566 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Phnom Penh's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Sangkat Ou Ruessei Ti Pir, 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 Sangkat Ou Ruessei Ti Pir; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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