City report · Saitama, Japan
Saitama Air quality today
Air quality in Saitama currently reads AQI 52 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 52
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 9.5
- tree cover
- 18.3%
- trees in this area
- 57.5K
- more trees needed
- 36.8K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Minaminakano, Minuma Ward, Saitama, 337-0042, Japan (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Aug 24, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Saitama · AQI 52 (Moderate)
Saitama's tree count comes to 57,491 trees across 12.57 km², 12 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 36,757 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Saitama today: AQI 52, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 12, 01:00 local time via OpenAQ and World Air Quality Index Project ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · さいたま市大宮区大門町３－３, 2.1 km away · median of 16 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
9.5
PM10
18.4
NO₂
51.7
O₃
—
SO₂
2.6
CO
458.2
Data: OpenAQ · Ministry of the Environment Air Pollutant Wide Area Monitoring System, World Air Quality Index Project, Saitama Prefecture EPA (埼玉県の大気状況), Japan Atmospheric Environmental Regional Observation System (環境省大気汚染物質広域監視システム)
- 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 Saitama's daily AQI at 56 on average, from 26 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 147 on Nov 5.
Where Saitama stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Saitama: Below target
18.3% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
57,491
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
36,757
CO₂ if planted / yr
808.7 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Saitama lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Saitama has lost about 32 hectares of forest (about 45 football pitches): 3.8% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (71%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 32 haabout 45 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 3.8%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 23 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2006, when about 5 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2004 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2005 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2006 | 3 ha | 2 ha | 5 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2008 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2009 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2010 | 3 ha | 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2012 | 3 ha | 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2015 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 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 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2023 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 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 Saitama?
- Towns and roadscleared for good71% · 23 ha
- Unknown causescause unknown29% · 9 ha
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
- 2,060 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 2,000 ha
- Overall change
- −62 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Saitama shrank from about 2,060 hectares to 2,000 hectares, a net loss of about 62 hectares (−3%). New forest grew on about 90 hectares, but 152 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
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Frequently asked
Questions about Saitama
What is the air quality (AQI) in Saitama right now?
The latest reading for Saitama shows an AQI of 52 (Moderate), measured Nov 12, 01:00 local time by 16 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is さいたま市大宮区大門町３－３, 2.1 km away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Saitama today?
At AQI 52 (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 Saitama been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Saitama's daily AQI at 56 on average, from 26 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 147 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 Saitama lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Saitama has lost about 32 hectares of forest (about 45 football pitches): 3.8% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (71%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Saitama shrank from about 2,060 hectares to 2,000 hectares, a net loss of about 62 hectares (−3%). New forest grew on about 90 hectares, but 152 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Saitama?
Saitama has an estimated 57,491 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 18.3% tree cover, 12 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Saitama need?
Saitama needs roughly 36,757 more trees to close a 12-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 808.7 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Saitama's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Minaminakano, 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 Minaminakano; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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