City report · Shiga, Japan
Youkaichi Air quality today
Air quality in Youkaichi currently reads AQI 40 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
AQI 40
Air quality right now
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 7.2
- tree cover
- 19.1%
- trees in this area
- 60.0K
- more trees needed
- 34.2K
Measured across a 2 km radius around 8 Yokaichihamanocho, Higashiomi, Shiga 527-0011, Japan (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Aug 7, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Youkaichi · AQI 40 (Good)
Youkaichi's tree count comes to 60,004 trees across 12.57 km², 11 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 34,243 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Youkaichi today: AQI 40, Good
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 · Takakaichokita, Omihachiman, Shiga, Japan (国道１号八幡市), 8.3 km away · median of 2 stations
Health signal
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
PM2.5
7.2
PM10
11.9
NO₂
11.3
O₃
—
SO₂
2.6
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · Ministry of the Environment Air Pollutant Wide Area Monitoring System, World Air Quality Index Project, 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
- 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 Youkaichi's daily AQI at 37 on average, from 18 on Nov 11 to an hourly peak of 71 on Nov 5.
Where Youkaichi stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Youkaichi: Below target
19.1% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
60,004
Target trees
94,247
More trees needed
34,243
CO₂ if planted / yr
753.3 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Youkaichi lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Youkaichi has lost about 252 hectares of forest (about 350 football pitches): 4% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (51%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from August 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km south of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 252 haabout 350 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 4%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 130 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2020, when about 21 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 | 7 ha | 12 ha | 19 ha |
| 2002 | 3 ha | 8 ha | 11 ha |
| 2003 | 1 ha | 2 ha | 3 ha |
| 2004 | 2 ha | 7 ha | 10 ha |
| 2005 | 4 ha | 2 ha | 6 ha |
| 2006 | 5 ha | 6 ha | 11 ha |
| 2007 | 10 ha | 1 ha | 11 ha |
| 2008 | 7 ha | 7 ha | 14 ha |
| 2009 | 4 ha | 3 ha | 7 ha |
| 2010 | 6 ha | 8 ha | 14 ha |
| 2011 | 3 ha | 2 ha | 4 ha |
| 2012 | 4 ha | 4 ha | 8 ha |
| 2013 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | 5 ha | 5 ha |
| 2015 | 16 ha | 2 ha | 18 ha |
| 2016 | 8 ha | 12 ha | 20 ha |
| 2017 | 3 ha | 4 ha | 7 ha |
| 2018 | 2 ha | 3 ha | 5 ha |
| 2019 | 11 ha | 4 ha | 15 ha |
| 2020 | 15 ha | 6 ha | 21 ha |
| 2021 | 3 ha | 4 ha | 8 ha |
| 2022 | 2 ha | 8 ha | 10 ha |
| 2023 | 6 ha | 5 ha | 11 ha |
| 2024 | 3 ha | 5 ha | 8 ha |
| 2025 | 4 ha | 4 ha | 8 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Youkaichi?
- Towns and roadscleared for good46% · 115 ha
- Loggingcan grow back44% · 112 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good5.3% · 14 ha
Also: mining and energy, 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
- 6,830 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 6,700 ha
- Overall change
- −127 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Youkaichi stayed about the same size, at about 6,700 hectares: new forest grew on about 55 hectares, and about 181 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 Youkaichi
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
Build your own
Compare Youkaichi with anywhere
This place
Youkaichi
Use this data
Put Youkaichi's numbers on your site
Free to embed. Updates itself as the measurement refreshes.
Frequently asked
Questions about Youkaichi
What is the air quality (AQI) in Youkaichi right now?
The latest reading for Youkaichi shows an AQI of 40 (Good), measured Nov 12, 01:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Takakaichokita, Omihachiman, Shiga, Japan (国道１号八幡市), 8.3 km away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Youkaichi today?
At AQI 40 (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 Youkaichi been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Youkaichi's daily AQI at 37 on average, from 18 on Nov 11 to an hourly peak of 71 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 Youkaichi lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Youkaichi has lost about 252 hectares of forest (about 350 football pitches): 4% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (51%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Youkaichi stayed about the same size, at about 6,700 hectares: new forest grew on about 55 hectares, and about 181 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Youkaichi?
Youkaichi has an estimated 60,004 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 19.1% tree cover, 11 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Youkaichi need?
Youkaichi needs roughly 34,243 more trees to close a 11-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 753.3 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Youkaichi's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near 8 Yokaichihamanocho, 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 8 Yokaichihamanocho; 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