City report · Taiwan
Taichung Air quality today
Air quality in Taichung currently reads AQI 64 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 64
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 16.0
- tree cover
- 9.9%
- trees in this area
- 31.1K
- more trees needed
- 63.1K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Taichung, Wuchang Village, North District, Taichung City, Taiwan (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 16, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Taichung · AQI 64 (Moderate)
Taichung's tree count comes to 31,102 trees across 12.57 km², 20 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 63,146 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Taichung today: AQI 64, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 12, 00:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · 臺中市 - 臺灣大道, 3.1 km away · median of 4 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
16.0
PM10
28.0
NO₂
35.8
O₃
27.5
SO₂
3.8
CO
383.8
Data: OpenAQ · Taiwan, Ministry of Environment, Taiwan (Open Government Data License 1.0)
- 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 Taichung's daily AQI at 100 on average, from 66 on Nov 10 to an hourly peak of 156 on Nov 5.
Where Taichung stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Taichung: Critically low
9.9% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
31,102
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
63,146
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,389 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Taichung lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Taichung has lost about 201 hectares of forest (about 280 football pitches): 4% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (98%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from January 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km east of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 201 haabout 280 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 4%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 197 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2012, when about 28 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 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2002 | 7 ha | under 1 ha | 7 ha |
| 2003 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2004 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2005 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2006 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2007 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2008 | 7 ha | under 1 ha | 7 ha |
| 2009 | 9 ha | under 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2010 | 10 ha | under 1 ha | 10 ha |
| 2011 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2012 | 28 ha | under 1 ha | 28 ha |
| 2013 | 10 ha | under 1 ha | 10 ha |
| 2014 | 10 ha | under 1 ha | 10 ha |
| 2015 | 9 ha | under 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2016 | 13 ha | under 1 ha | 13 ha |
| 2017 | 9 ha | under 1 ha | 10 ha |
| 2018 | 9 ha | under 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2019 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2020 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2021 | 11 ha | under 1 ha | 11 ha |
| 2022 | 6 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2023 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2024 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2025 | 11 ha | 1 ha | 12 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Taichung?
- Towns and roadscleared for good58% · 116 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good40% · 81 ha
- Unknown causescause unknown2.1% · 4 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
- 7,050 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 7,450 ha
- Overall change
- +406 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Taichung grew from about 7,050 hectares to 7,450 hectares, a net gain of about 406 hectares (+5.8%). New forest grew on about 534 hectares, while 128 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 Taichung
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Yuanlin23.8 km
Taiwan
- Tree cover
- 18%
- Air quality
- 58
- Nantou25.8 km
Taiwan
- Tree cover
- 55%
- Air quality
- 60
- Douliu50.7 km
Taiwan
- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 64
- Toufen64.3 km
Taiwan
- Tree cover
- 29%
- Air quality
- 31
- Chiayi City78.0 km
Taiwan
- Tree cover
- 15%
- Air quality
- 73
Also compared:Taichung vs TaipeiTaichung vs KaohsiungTaichung vs Tainan
Build your own
Compare Taichung with anywhere
This place
Taichung
Use this data
Put Taichung's numbers on your site
Free to embed. Updates itself as the measurement refreshes.
Frequently asked
Questions about Taichung
What is the air quality (AQI) in Taichung right now?
The latest reading for Taichung shows an AQI of 64 (Moderate), measured Nov 12, 00:00 local time by 4 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is 臺中市 - 臺灣大道, 3.1 km away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Taichung today?
At AQI 64 (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 Taichung been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Taichung's daily AQI at 100 on average, from 66 on Nov 10 to an hourly peak of 156 on Nov 5. On 4 of those days the average was above 100, unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Taichung lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Taichung has lost about 201 hectares of forest (about 280 football pitches): 4% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (98%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Taichung grew from about 7,050 hectares to 7,450 hectares, a net gain of about 406 hectares (+5.8%). New forest grew on about 534 hectares, while 128 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Taichung?
Taichung has an estimated 31,102 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 9.9% tree cover, 20 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Taichung need?
Taichung needs roughly 63,146 more trees to close a 20-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,389 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Taichung's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Taichung, 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 Taichung; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
See your own area
What does your neighborhood look like?
Pick any point and radius to get the same air-quality and tree-cover breakdown.
Check my address