City report · South Pyongan, North Korea
Tŏkch’ŏn Air quality today
Air quality in Tŏkch’ŏn currently reads AQI 111 (Unhealthy for sensitive groups): Sensitive groups should limit long or intense outdoor activity.
AQI 111
Air quality right now
Unhealthy for sensitive groups
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 39.8
- tree cover
- 12.1%
- trees in this area
- 38.0K
- more trees needed
- 71.9K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Tokchon-si, Phyeongannamto, Korea (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 21, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Tŏkch’ŏn · AQI 111 (Unhealthy for sensitive groups)
Tŏkch’ŏn's tree count comes to 38,013 trees across 12.57 km², 23 points below the 35% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 71,942 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Tŏkch’ŏn today: AQI 111, Unhealthy for sensitive groups
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 02:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 7 ground-station cities within 245 km, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Estimate · model corrected with 7 station cities within 245 km, e.g. Sinuiju and Kaesŏng
Health signal
Sensitive groups should limit long or intense outdoor activity.
PM2.5
39.8
PM10
57.2
NO₂
8.1
O₃
46.0
SO₂
9.7
CO
236.0
- Outdoor exercise
- Children, older adults and people with asthma or heart disease should cut down long or hard exercise
- Windows
- Close them to keep the outside air out
- Mask
- Sensitive groups: an N95 outdoors
- Air purifier
- Run one, especially in bedrooms
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Tŏkch’ŏn's daily AQI at 67 on average, from 41 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 129 on Nov 5.
Where Tŏkch’ŏn stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Tŏkch’ŏn: Critically low
12.1% tree cover against a 35% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
38,013
Target trees
109,955
More trees needed
71,942
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,583 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Tŏkch’ŏn lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Tŏkch’ŏn has lost about 1,050 hectares of forest (about 1,500 football pitches): 10% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 92 hectares (8.8%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from June 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km southwest of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1,050 haabout 1,500 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 10%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 92 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2001, when about 118 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 | 2 ha | 116 ha | 118 ha |
| 2002 | 6 ha | 12 ha | 18 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | 7 ha | 7 ha |
| 2004 | 2 ha | 18 ha | 20 ha |
| 2005 | 1 ha | 11 ha | 12 ha |
| 2006 | 3 ha | 35 ha | 38 ha |
| 2007 | 3 ha | 64 ha | 67 ha |
| 2008 | 8 ha | 68 ha | 76 ha |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | 24 ha | 25 ha |
| 2010 | 5 ha | 35 ha | 39 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | 9 ha | 9 ha |
| 2012 | 22 ha | 68 ha | 89 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | 18 ha | 18 ha |
| 2014 | 4 ha | 42 ha | 46 ha |
| 2015 | 5 ha | 34 ha | 39 ha |
| 2016 | 5 ha | 29 ha | 34 ha |
| 2017 | 7 ha | 34 ha | 41 ha |
| 2018 | 9 ha | 28 ha | 37 ha |
| 2019 | 1 ha | 39 ha | 40 ha |
| 2020 | 2 ha | 38 ha | 41 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | 57 ha | 58 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | 36 ha | 37 ha |
| 2023 | 3 ha | 62 ha | 66 ha |
| 2024 | 2 ha | 39 ha | 41 ha |
| 2025 | 1 ha | 30 ha | 31 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Tŏkch’ŏn?
- Loggingcan grow back83% · 871 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good8.4% · 88 ha
- Wildfirescan grow back6.6% · 69 ha
Also: mining and energy, towns and roads, 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
- 12,700 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 13,400 ha
- Overall change
- +720 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Tŏkch’ŏn grew from about 12,700 hectares to 13,400 hectares, a net gain of about 720 hectares (+5.7%). New forest grew on about 1,270 hectares, while 550 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 Tŏkch’ŏn
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Kaech’ŏn31.7 km
North Korea
- Tree cover
- 14%
- Air quality
- 152
- Sunch’ŏn45.3 km
North Korea
- Tree cover
- 19%
- Air quality
- 99
- Paek'ak64.5 km
North Korea
- Tree cover
- 5%
- Air quality
- 85
- P’yŏngsŏng65.3 km
North Korea
- Tree cover
- 31%
- Air quality
- 78
- Pyongyang90.9 km
North Korea
- Tree cover
- 24%
- Air quality
- 74
- Man’gyŏngdae-ri99.0 km
North Korea
- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 66
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Frequently asked
Questions about Tŏkch’ŏn
What is the air quality (AQI) in Tŏkch’ŏn right now?
The latest reading for Tŏkch’ŏn shows an AQI of 111 (Unhealthy for sensitive groups), observed Nov 11, 02:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 7 ground-station cities within 245 km, US EPA index. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Sensitive groups should limit long or intense outdoor activity.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Tŏkch’ŏn today?
At AQI 111 (Unhealthy for sensitive groups): children, older adults and people with asthma or heart disease should cut down long or hard exercise. Windows: close them to keep the outside air out. Masks: sensitive groups: an N95 outdoors. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.
What has the air quality in Tŏkch’ŏn been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Tŏkch’ŏn's daily AQI at 67 on average, from 41 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 129 on Nov 5. On 2 of those days the average was above 100, unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Tŏkch’ŏn lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Tŏkch’ŏn has lost about 1,050 hectares of forest (about 1,500 football pitches): 10% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 92 hectares (8.8%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Tŏkch’ŏn grew from about 12,700 hectares to 13,400 hectares, a net gain of about 720 hectares (+5.7%). New forest grew on about 1,270 hectares, while 550 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Tŏkch’ŏn?
Tŏkch’ŏn has an estimated 38,013 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 12.1% tree cover, 23 percentage points short of the 35% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Tŏkch’ŏn need?
Tŏkch’ŏn needs roughly 71,942 more trees to close a 23-point shortfall against its 35% tree-cover target — about 1,583 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Tŏkch’ŏn'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 Tokchon-si; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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