City report · Laos
Thakhèk Air quality today
Air quality in Thakhèk currently reads AQI 82 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 82
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 25.6
- tree cover
- 50.3%
- trees in this area
- 158K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 2 km radius around Thakhek, Laos (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of May 9, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Thakhèk · AQI 82 (Moderate)
Thakhèk's tree count comes to 158,022 trees across 12.57 km², already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Thakhèk today: AQI 82, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 23:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Thakhek - Khammouan , 3.1 km away · median of 2 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
25.6
PM10
—
NO₂
52.7
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · Air4Thai, AirGradient, UNICEF, Pollution Control Department, Thailand · Air4Thai
- 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 Thakhèk's daily AQI at 28 on average, from 18 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 57 on Nov 11.
Where Thakhèk stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Thakhèk: Healthy tree cover
50.3% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
158,022
Target trees
158,022
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Thakhèk lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Thakhèk has lost about 3,790 hectares of forest (about 5,300 football pitches): 31% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (85%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
2017: satellite photo from February 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 5 km east of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 3,790 haabout 5,300 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 31%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 3,200 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss is speeding up: about 301 hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 133 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2023, when about 539 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 | 37 ha | under 1 ha | 38 ha |
| 2002 | 54 ha | 5 ha | 59 ha |
| 2003 | 53 ha | 11 ha | 65 ha |
| 2004 | 111 ha | 12 ha | 123 ha |
| 2005 | 38 ha | 7 ha | 45 ha |
| 2006 | 74 ha | 7 ha | 82 ha |
| 2007 | 128 ha | 17 ha | 145 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2009 | 168 ha | 106 ha | 274 ha |
| 2010 | 129 ha | 27 ha | 156 ha |
| 2011 | 233 ha | 27 ha | 260 ha |
| 2012 | 163 ha | 12 ha | 175 ha |
| 2013 | 65 ha | 2 ha | 67 ha |
| 2014 | 57 ha | 6 ha | 63 ha |
| 2015 | 64 ha | 8 ha | 72 ha |
| 2016 | 98 ha | 14 ha | 112 ha |
| 2017 | 104 ha | 6 ha | 110 ha |
| 2018 | 71 ha | 4 ha | 75 ha |
| 2019 | 79 ha | 197 ha | 276 ha |
| 2020 | 88 ha | 5 ha | 93 ha |
| 2021 | 149 ha | 5 ha | 154 ha |
| 2022 | 354 ha | 20 ha | 374 ha |
| 2023 | 494 ha | 45 ha | 539 ha |
| 2024 | 253 ha | 31 ha | 284 ha |
| 2025 | 140 ha | 12 ha | 152 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Thakhèk?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good74% · 2,810 ha
- Loggingcan grow back12% · 441 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good10% · 394 ha
Also: shifting farming, 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.
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 17,200 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 16,400 ha
- Overall change
- −827 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Thakhèk shrank from about 17,200 hectares to 16,400 hectares, a net loss of about 827 hectares (−4.8%). New forest grew on about 585 hectares, but 1,410 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 Thakhèk
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Hà Tĩnh153.9 km
Vietnam
- Tree cover
- 20%
- Air quality
- 66
- Vinh167.4 km
Vietnam
- Tree cover
- 19%
- Air quality
- 59
- Kỳ Anh171.5 km
Vietnam
- Tree cover
- 49%
- Air quality
- 36
- Ba Đồn173.1 km
Vietnam
- Tree cover
- 28%
- Air quality
- 53
- Đồng Hới190.2 km
Vietnam
- Tree cover
- 18%
- Air quality
- 61
Also compared:Thakhèk vs Vientiane
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Frequently asked
Questions about Thakhèk
What is the air quality (AQI) in Thakhèk right now?
The latest reading for Thakhèk shows an AQI of 82 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 23:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Thakhek - Khammouan , 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 Thakhèk today?
At AQI 82 (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 Thakhèk been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Thakhèk's daily AQI at 28 on average, from 18 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 57 on Nov 11. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Thakhèk lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Thakhèk has lost about 3,790 hectares of forest (about 5,300 football pitches): 31% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (85%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations. Forest loss is speeding up: about 301 hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 133 hectares a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Thakhèk shrank from about 17,200 hectares to 16,400 hectares, a net loss of about 827 hectares (−4.8%). New forest grew on about 585 hectares, but 1,410 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Thakhèk?
Thakhèk has an estimated 158,022 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 50.3% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Thakhèk need?
Thakhèk has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Thakhèk's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Thakhek, 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 Thakhek; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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