North Korea · Pyongyang · 2 cities
Air quality in Pyongyang today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now, Man’gyŏngdae-ri has the cleanest air of the 2 cities we track in Pyongyang (AQI 66, Moderate), and Pyongyang the worst (AQI 74, Moderate). Man’gyŏngdae-ri has the most tree cover, at 29.7% — #5 of 27 cities measured in North 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.
- cities tracked
- 2
- average tree cover
- 27.0%
- North Korea: 18.5%
- worst air now: Pyongyang
- 74
- cleanest air now: Man’gyŏngdae-ri
- 66
Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf, refreshed hourly.
Pyongyang
Air quality today across Pyongyang, city by city
| Pyongyang | 74Moderate | 24.3% | 15.3K | #9 of 27 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Man’gyŏngdae-ri | 66Moderate | 29.7% | 693 | #5 of 27 |
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 North Korea.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Pyongyang lost?
Since 2001, Pyongyang has lost about 873 hectares of forest (about 1,200 football pitches): 4% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 161 hectares (18%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 873 haabout 1,200 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 4%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 161 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 | 11 ha | 36 ha | 47 ha |
| 2002 | 2 ha | 10 ha | 12 ha |
| 2003 | 5 ha | 20 ha | 25 ha |
| 2004 | 5 ha | 18 ha | 23 ha |
| 2005 | 4 ha | 14 ha | 18 ha |
| 2006 | 31 ha | 343 ha | 374 ha |
| 2007 | 11 ha | 48 ha | 60 ha |
| 2008 | 18 ha | 50 ha | 68 ha |
| 2009 | 6 ha | 33 ha | 39 ha |
| 2010 | 5 ha | 48 ha | 53 ha |
| 2011 | 2 ha | 22 ha | 24 ha |
| 2012 | 14 ha | 17 ha | 31 ha |
| 2013 | 3 ha | 10 ha | 13 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | 9 ha | 9 ha |
| 2017 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 2 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 2 ha |
| 2020 | 30 ha | 4 ha | 35 ha |
| 2021 | 6 ha | 5 ha | 11 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | 3 ha | 4 ha |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2024 | 2 ha | 5 ha | 7 ha |
| 2025 | 4 ha | 10 ha | 13 ha |
The worst year was 2006, when about 374 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in Pyongyang?
- Loggingcan grow back52% · 455 ha
- Wildfirescan grow back23% · 205 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good18% · 155 ha
Also: towns and roads, 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
Other regions in North Korea
Clean-air buying guides
Cleaner air at home in Pyongyang
Picked by tested clean-air delivery rate (CADR), noise and running cost, from independent test labels. No brand pays to be listed.
- The best air purifiers for wildfire smoke and smog
Air purifiers that keep up with wildfire smoke and winter smog, ranked by verified smoke CADR, with the room each one clears on a smoky day.
- The best air purifiers for bedrooms: quiet picks sized for your room
Quiet HEPA air purifiers for bedrooms, compared on what matters at night: noise on the lowest setting (from 20 dB), verified room size and filter cost.
- The best air purifiers under $200
Good HEPA air purifiers under $200 at the makers' own prices, compared on verified clean air, room size and what the filters cost each year.
Your own street