City report · Uzbekistan
Samarkand Air quality today
Air quality in Samarkand currently reads AQI 17 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
AQI 17
Air quality right now
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 2.6
- tree cover
- 12.4%
- trees in this area
- 39.0K
- more trees needed
- 55.3K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Samarkand, Samarqand Region, Uzbekistan (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 17, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Samarkand · AQI 17 (Good)
Samarkand's tree count comes to 38,956 trees across 12.57 km², 18 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 55,292 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Samarkand today: AQI 17, Good
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 10, 18:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Model estimate · no ground station nearby
Health signal
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
PM2.5
2.6
PM10
2.9
NO₂
2.9
O₃
49.0
SO₂
1.9
CO
141.0
- Outdoor exercise
- A good day to be active outside
- Windows
- Open them to air the house
- Mask
- Not needed
- Air purifier
- Not needed
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Samarkand's daily AQI at 53 on average, from 28 on Nov 10 to an hourly peak of 93 on Nov 5.
Where Samarkand stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Samarkand: Critically low
12.4% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
38,956
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
55,292
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,216 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Samarkand lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Samarkand has lost about 7 hectares of forest (about 10 football pitches): 2.5% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was towns and roads (29%). About 3 hectares (40%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2018: satellite photo from September 2018 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 7 haabout 10 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 2.5%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 3 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2001, when about 3 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 | 1 ha | 2 ha | 3 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2005 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 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 Samarkand?
- Towns and roadscleared for good29% · 2 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good11% · under 1 ha
- Unknown causescause unknown62% · 5 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
- 145 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 309 ha
- Overall change
- +164 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Samarkand grew from about 145 hectares to 309 hectares, a net gain of about 164 hectares (+113%). New forest grew on about 173 hectares, while 9 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
In the same region
Measured cities near Samarkand
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Shahrisabz67.3 km
Uzbekistan
- Tree cover
- 10%
- Air quality
- 26
- Jizzax91.0 km
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- Tree cover
- 10%
- Air quality
- 21
- Qarshi134.3 km
Uzbekistan
- Tree cover
- 5%
- Air quality
- 23
- Navoiy143.5 km
Uzbekistan
- Tree cover
- 11%
- Air quality
- 41
- Istaravshan176.6 km
Tajikistan
- Tree cover
- 5%
- Air quality
- 52
- Dushanbe200.0 km
Tajikistan
- Tree cover
- 5%
- Air quality
- 12
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Frequently asked
Questions about Samarkand
What is the air quality (AQI) in Samarkand right now?
The latest reading for Samarkand shows an AQI of 17 (Good), observed Nov 10, 18:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Samarkand today?
At AQI 17 (Good): a good day to be active outside. Windows: open them to air the house. Masks: not needed. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.
What has the air quality in Samarkand been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Samarkand's daily AQI at 53 on average, from 28 on Nov 10 to an hourly peak of 93 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 Samarkand lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Samarkand has lost about 7 hectares of forest (about 10 football pitches): 2.5% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was towns and roads (29%). About 3 hectares (40%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Samarkand grew from about 145 hectares to 309 hectares, a net gain of about 164 hectares (+113%). New forest grew on about 173 hectares, while 9 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Samarkand?
Samarkand has an estimated 38,956 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 12.4% tree cover, 18 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Samarkand need?
Samarkand needs roughly 55,292 more trees to close a 18-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,216 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Samarkand's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality comes from ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ where one reports nearby, and otherwise, as here, from the Open-Meteo / CAMS model, which may differ from street-level monitors. 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 Samarkand; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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