Myanmar · Shan State · 6 cities
Air quality in Shan State today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now, Taunggyi has the cleanest air of the 6 cities we track in Shan State (AQI 9, Good), and Mu-se the worst (AQI 69, Moderate). Kēng Tung has the most tree cover, at 33.2% — #25 of 32 cities measured in Myanmar.
Every city is measured the same way, over the same 1.2 mi (2 km) around its center: the air quality right now, from ground stations where there are any, and its tree cover.
Average right now
AQI 24
Good
- cities tracked
- 6
- average tree cover
- 24.7%
- Myanmar: 44.4%
- worst air now: Mu-se
- 69
- cleanest air now: Taunggyi
- 9
Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf, refreshed hourly.
Shan State · average AQI 24
Air quality today across Shan State, city by city
| Yawnghwe | 12Good | 12.3% | 48.8K | #32 of 32 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kēng Tung | 23Good | 33.2% | — | #25 of 32 |
| Mu-se | 69Moderate | 18.2% | 36.0K | #31 of 32 |
| Taunggyi | 9Good | 32.2% | — | #26 of 32 |
| Lashio | 13Good | 31.1% | — | #27 of 32 |
| Möng Yang | 18Good | 21.2% | 27.6K | #30 of 32 |
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 1.2 mi (2 km) of each city center from Sentinel-2 imagery; the rank compares every city measured in Myanmar.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Shan State lost?
Since 2001, Shan State has lost about 1.83 million hectares of forest (about 18,000 km²): 17% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to shifting farming, so much of it can grow back. About 535,000 hectares (29%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1.83 million haabout 18,000 km²
- Share of its forest
- 17%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 535,000 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 | 3,970 ha | 7,920 ha | 11,900 ha |
| 2002 | 8,430 ha | 14,700 ha | 23,100 ha |
| 2003 | 10,600 ha | 20,600 ha | 31,200 ha |
| 2004 | 11,600 ha | 19,200 ha | 30,800 ha |
| 2005 | 8,380 ha | 14,500 ha | 22,900 ha |
| 2006 | 21,000 ha | 22,000 ha | 43,000 ha |
| 2007 | 19,600 ha | 24,700 ha | 44,300 ha |
| 2008 | 15,400 ha | 15,200 ha | 30,600 ha |
| 2009 | 37,700 ha | 42,300 ha | 80,000 ha |
| 2010 | 21,200 ha | 28,800 ha | 50,100 ha |
| 2011 | 14,000 ha | 19,100 ha | 33,100 ha |
| 2012 | 33,400 ha | 46,200 ha | 79,600 ha |
| 2013 | 21,600 ha | 72,900 ha | 94,400 ha |
| 2014 | 35,300 ha | 77,700 ha | 113,000 ha |
| 2015 | 29,000 ha | 87,700 ha | 117,000 ha |
| 2016 | 29,000 ha | 95,500 ha | 124,000 ha |
| 2017 | 26,400 ha | 96,700 ha | 123,000 ha |
| 2018 | 20,200 ha | 75,400 ha | 95,600 ha |
| 2019 | 29,000 ha | 86,400 ha | 115,000 ha |
| 2020 | 23,700 ha | 81,600 ha | 105,000 ha |
| 2021 | 24,000 ha | 78,800 ha | 103,000 ha |
| 2022 | 22,000 ha | 69,400 ha | 91,300 ha |
| 2023 | 32,700 ha | 70,400 ha | 103,000 ha |
| 2024 | 19,400 ha | 67,200 ha | 86,600 ha |
| 2025 | 17,800 ha | 59,900 ha | 77,800 ha |
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 92,300 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 113,000 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2016, when about 124,000 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in Shan State?
- Shifting farmingcan grow back69% · 1.26 million ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good28% · 511,000 ha
- Loggingcan grow back1.5% · 27,200 ha
Also: mining and energy, towns and roads, storms, floods and other natural causes, wildfires, 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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