South Korea · Gyeongsangbuk-do · 7 cities
Air quality in Gyeongsangbuk-do today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now, Gyeongju has the cleanest air of the 7 cities we track in Gyeongsangbuk-do (AQI 65, Moderate), and Sangju the worst (AQI 88, Moderate). Gumi has the most tree cover, at 55.6% — #3 of 56 cities measured in South Korea.
Every city is measured the same way, over the same 2 km around its center: the air quality right now, from ground stations where there are any, and its tree cover.
AQI 76
Average right now
Moderate
- cities tracked
- 7
- average tree cover
- 26.9%
- South Korea: 28.4%
- worst air now: Sangju
- 88
- cleanest air now: Gyeongju
- 65
Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf, refreshed hourly.
Gyeongsangbuk-do · average AQI 76
Air quality today across Gyeongsangbuk-do, city by city
| Pohang | 74Moderate | 19.7% | 28.0K | #38 of 56 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gumi | 87Moderate | 55.6% | — | #3 of 56 |
| Gyeongsan-si | 71Moderate | 18.6% | 35.4K | #42 of 56 |
| Gyeongju | 65Moderate | 12.6% | 54.3K | #49 of 56 |
| Andong | 75Moderate | 34.3% | — | #18 of 56 |
| Gimcheon | 71Moderate | 30.6% | — | #23 of 56 |
| Sangju | 88Moderate | 17.1% | 40.4K | #44 of 56 |
Air quality is the US AQI from ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ where available, otherwise the Open-Meteo / CAMS model, refreshed hourly. Tree cover is measured within 2 km of each city center from Sentinel-2 imagery; the rank compares every city measured in South Korea.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Gyeongsangbuk-do lost?
Since 2001, Gyeongsangbuk-do has lost about 118,000 hectares of forest (about 160,000 football pitches): 10% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was logging (45%), after which forest can grow back. About 16,800 hectares (14%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 118,000 haabout 160,000 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 10%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 16,800 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 | 146 ha | 422 ha | 568 ha |
| 2002 | 179 ha | 284 ha | 463 ha |
| 2003 | 106 ha | 157 ha | 263 ha |
| 2004 | 481 ha | 807 ha | 1,290 ha |
| 2005 | 344 ha | 620 ha | 964 ha |
| 2006 | 352 ha | 547 ha | 899 ha |
| 2007 | 588 ha | 485 ha | 1,070 ha |
| 2008 | 767 ha | 618 ha | 1,390 ha |
| 2009 | 642 ha | 1,940 ha | 2,580 ha |
| 2010 | 604 ha | 1,380 ha | 1,980 ha |
| 2011 | 228 ha | 1,360 ha | 1,580 ha |
| 2012 | 742 ha | 1,740 ha | 2,480 ha |
| 2013 | 320 ha | 734 ha | 1,050 ha |
| 2014 | 393 ha | 1,200 ha | 1,590 ha |
| 2015 | 416 ha | 1,880 ha | 2,290 ha |
| 2016 | 602 ha | 2,540 ha | 3,140 ha |
| 2017 | 511 ha | 2,350 ha | 2,870 ha |
| 2018 | 515 ha | 2,240 ha | 2,750 ha |
| 2019 | 419 ha | 2,460 ha | 2,880 ha |
| 2020 | 303 ha | 2,980 ha | 3,280 ha |
| 2021 | 488 ha | 2,070 ha | 2,550 ha |
| 2022 | 337 ha | 2,520 ha | 2,860 ha |
| 2023 | 322 ha | 2,520 ha | 2,840 ha |
| 2024 | 290 ha | 1,810 ha | 2,100 ha |
| 2025 | 6,740 ha | 65,300 ha | 72,000 ha |
Forest loss is speeding up: about 16,500 hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 2,980 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2025, when about 72,000 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in Gyeongsangbuk-do?
- Loggingcan grow back45% · 53,400 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good10% · 11,900 ha
- Wildfirescan grow back4.6% · 5,360 ha
Also: mining and energy, 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.
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. How it's measured
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