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Air quality now: Kyoto

Japan · Kyoto · 2 cities

Air quality in Kyoto today The AQI right now, city by city

Right now, Uji has the cleanest air of the 2 cities we track in Kyoto (AQI 33, Good), and Kyoto the worst (AQI 44, Good). Uji has the most tree cover, at 29.3% — #39 of 207 cities measured in Japan.

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.

cities tracked
2
average tree cover
18.6%
Japan: 16.4%
worst air now: Kyoto
44
cleanest air now: Uji
33

Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf, refreshed hourly.

Air quality today across Kyoto, city by city

Current air quality and tree cover for cities in Kyoto, Japan
Kyoto44Good8.0%69.0K#145 of 207
Uji33Good29.3%2.2K#39 of 207

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 Japan.

Deforestation · 2001–2025

How much forest has Kyoto lost?

Since 2001, Kyoto has lost about 7,990 hectares of forest (about 11,000 football pitches): 2.3% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 1,520 hectares (19%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.

Forest lost since 2001
7,990 haabout 11,000 football pitches
Share of its forest
2.3%of what there was in 2000
Cleared for good
1,520 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest lost each year in Kyoto, 2001–2025

Hectares of forest lost each year

Forest lost each year in Kyoto, 2001–2025. Use the left and right arrow keys to read each year.656

Show the figures as a table
Forest lost each year in Kyoto, 2001–2025
YearCleared for goodCan grow backTotal
200143 ha169 ha211 ha
200246 ha162 ha208 ha
200319 ha115 ha134 ha
200495 ha441 ha536 ha
200558 ha316 ha374 ha
200674 ha300 ha373 ha
200740 ha197 ha237 ha
2008149 ha507 ha656 ha
2009100 ha331 ha431 ha
201088 ha381 ha469 ha
201175 ha165 ha240 ha
201270 ha344 ha414 ha
201346 ha116 ha162 ha
201421 ha141 ha161 ha
201531 ha111 ha142 ha
201698 ha246 ha344 ha
201750 ha207 ha257 ha
201869 ha307 ha376 ha
2019100 ha410 ha510 ha
202035 ha301 ha336 ha
202144 ha227 ha271 ha
202275 ha279 ha354 ha
202343 ha202 ha244 ha
202429 ha239 ha268 ha
202526 ha254 ha280 ha

Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 283 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 365 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2008, when about 656 hectares of forest were lost.

What is causing deforestation in Kyoto?

  • Loggingcan grow back76% · 6,090 ha
  • Towns and roadscleared for good15% · 1,240 ha
  • Mining and energycleared for good2.3% · 182 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.

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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