GlobeMetrics
EN
  • English✓
  • हिंदी—
  • मराठी—

Try “Pune”, “Poona” or “पुणे”

Air quality · Pakistan

Islamabad Air Quality Index (AQI) today

Modelled estimate for 17:00 local time (UTC+5), refreshed 3 Nov, 07:52 UTC+0.

86 Moderate

Live estimate · modelled

US EPA AQI17:00 UTC+5, 3 Nov Main pollutant: PM2.5

Air quality is acceptable. However, there may be a risk for some people, particularly those who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.

This page uses EPA’s NowCast, which follows the last few hours, as the US government’s AirNow does. On a 24-hour average of particles, as many apps show, it is 116.

Over the next 24 hours the model expects the AQI to range from 74 around 15:00 to 154 around 22:00 (3 Nov).

257th most polluted of 849 cities worldwide right now, 16th of 19 in Pakistan.

What to do today

  • Long walk or run outside OK, lighter if very sensitive
  • Kids playing outside OK
  • Airing the house Open
  • Mask outdoors Not needed

Based on the US EPA’s health statement: “Air quality is acceptable. However, there may be a risk for some people, particularly those who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.” General guidance, not medical advice.

Last 24 hours and next 48

Past hours Forecast

18:00 · 155 19:00 · 164 20:00 · 170 21:00 · 174 22:00 · 174 23:00 · 170 00:00 · 162 01:00 · 154 02:00 · 132 03:00 · 109 04:00 · 92 05:00 · 81 06:00 · 77 07:00 · 79 08:00 · 84 09:00 · 86 10:00 · 77 11:00 · 71 12:00 · 68 13:00 · 68 14:00 · 69 15:00 · 70 16:00 · 74 17:00 · 86 18:00 · 103 19:00 · 124 20:00 · 143 21:00 · 152 22:00 · 154 23:00 · 154 00:00 · 152 01:00 · 143 02:00 · 133 03:00 · 122 04:00 · 114 05:00 · 107 06:00 · 105 07:00 · 115 08:00 · 130 09:00 · 122 10:00 · 102 11:00 · 90 12:00 · 82 13:00 · 78 14:00 · 75 15:00 · 74 16:00 · 77 17:00 · 93 18:00 · 125 19:00 · 152 20:00 · 159 21:00 · 164 22:00 · 166 23:00 · 164 00:00 · 159 01:00 · 155 02:00 · 148 03:00 · 135 04:00 · 124 05:00 · 116 06:00 · 112 07:00 · 119 08:00 · 126 09:00 · 123 10:00 · 101 11:00 · 90 12:00 · 84 Now

US EPA AQI per hour, UTC+5. Particles use EPA’s NowCast (a 12-hour weighted average), ozone and CO an 8-hour average. Lighter bars are the CAMS forecast.

Show as a table
TimeAQI
Mon 18:00155
Mon 19:00164
Mon 20:00170
Mon 21:00174
Mon 22:00174
Mon 23:00170
Tue 00:00162
Tue 01:00154
Tue 02:00132
Tue 03:00109
Tue 04:0092
Tue 05:0081
Tue 06:0077
Tue 07:0079
Tue 08:0084
Tue 09:0086
Tue 10:0077
Tue 11:0071
Tue 12:0068
Tue 13:0068
Tue 14:0069
Tue 15:0070
Tue 16:0074
Tue 17:00 · Now86
Tue 18:00 · Forecast103
Tue 19:00 · Forecast124
Tue 20:00 · Forecast143
Tue 21:00 · Forecast152
Tue 22:00 · Forecast154
Tue 23:00 · Forecast154
Wed 00:00 · Forecast152
Wed 01:00 · Forecast143
Wed 02:00 · Forecast133
Wed 03:00 · Forecast122
Wed 04:00 · Forecast114
Wed 05:00 · Forecast107
Wed 06:00 · Forecast105
Wed 07:00 · Forecast115
Wed 08:00 · Forecast130
Wed 09:00 · Forecast122
Wed 10:00 · Forecast102
Wed 11:00 · Forecast90
Wed 12:00 · Forecast82
Wed 13:00 · Forecast78
Wed 14:00 · Forecast75
Wed 15:00 · Forecast74
Wed 16:00 · Forecast77
Wed 17:00 · Forecast93
Wed 18:00 · Forecast125
Wed 19:00 · Forecast152
Wed 20:00 · Forecast159
Wed 21:00 · Forecast164
Wed 22:00 · Forecast166
Wed 23:00 · Forecast164
Thu 00:00 · Forecast159
Thu 01:00 · Forecast155
Thu 02:00 · Forecast148
Thu 03:00 · Forecast135
Thu 04:00 · Forecast124
Thu 05:00 · Forecast116
Thu 06:00 · Forecast112
Thu 07:00 · Forecast119
Thu 08:00 · Forecast126
Thu 09:00 · Forecast123
Thu 10:00 · Forecast101
Thu 11:00 · Forecast90
Thu 12:00 · Forecast84

Pollutants this hour

  • PM2.5 34.1 µg/m³ 24-hour mean 41.8 µg/m³ · 2.8× WHO’s 24-hour guideline (15) 86
  • PM10 39 µg/m³ 30
  • O₃ 42 µg/m³ 44
  • NO₂ 73 µg/m³ 36
  • SO₂ 11 µg/m³ 6
  • CO 1.45 mg/m³ 7

Modelled concentrations at the city’s location (CAMS). The sub-index uses the same averaging as the headline, so the highest one is the AQI.

Nearby cities

City AQI
Muzaffarābād Azad Kashmir 54
Battagram Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 61
Peshawar Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 88
Sargodha Punjab 130
Sialkot Punjab 117
Gujranwala Punjab 137
Bannu Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 108
Ludhiana India 152

Where this number comes from

The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) forecasts air pollution worldwide on a grid (about 11 km over Europe, about 45 km elsewhere). We take the grid value at Islamabad’s coordinates and score it with the US EPA’s method. It is a model, not a measurement: a nearby monitoring station can read quite differently, especially next to busy roads or during fires and dust storms.

Full methodology · Data: CAMS via Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0); city list: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0).

  • Good 0–50
  • Moderate 51–100
  • Unhealthy for sensitive groups 101–150
  • Unhealthy 151–200
  • Very unhealthy 201–300
  • Hazardous 301–500

Questions

What is the AQI in Islamabad right now?
86 on the US EPA scale (Moderate) at 17:00 UTC+5, 3 Nov. PM2.5 is the pollutant with the highest sub-index. This is a modelled estimate from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), not a reading from a monitoring station.

Is it safe to exercise outside in Islamabad today?
For most people, yes. The EPA’s statement for “Moderate”: Air quality is acceptable. However, there may be a risk for some people, particularly those who are unusually sensitive to air pollution. General guidance, not medical advice.

Will the air in Islamabad get better or worse tomorrow?
Over the next 24 hours the model expects the AQI to range from 74 around 15:00 to 154 around 22:00 (3 Nov). Forecasts beyond a day are less certain.

How does Islamabad compare with other cities?
Right now it is the 257th most polluted of 849 cities we track worldwide, and 16th of 19 in Pakistan, all on the same US EPA scale.

Why does another app show a different AQI for Islamabad?
Apps differ in source (government stations, low-cost sensors or a model like this one), in scale (US EPA, European, or a national index) and in averaging (hourly or NowCast, 8-hour, 24-hour). This page uses the US EPA AQI with EPA’s NowCast for particles, computed from the CAMS forecast for the city’s location.