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Beijing air quality

China · Live AQI and hourly forecast for the next 5 days · updated Sun 07:00 local time

178

Unhealthy

US AQI, mostly PM2.5

Everyone should cut back on outdoor exercise. Sensitive groups should stay indoors.

Next 24 hours
153–178US AQI, highest around Sun 07:00
Best time outside
Sun 22:00–1:00US AQI about 153
PM2.5 vs WHO guideline
4.3×64 µg/m³ over 24 h, guideline 15
Cigarette equivalent
≈ 2.9 a dayBerkeley Earth rule of thumb
European AQI
Poorlevel 4 of 6

Loading the live globe…

The live globe, centred on Beijing. Switch pollutants, drag through the next 5 days or press play. Full map →

Pollutants in Beijing right now

PollutantNowNext 24 h vs WHOUS AQI band
Fine particles (PM2.5) 71 µg/m³ 4.3× Unhealthy
Coarse particles (PM10) 73 µg/m³ 1.5× Moderate
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) 72 µg/m³ 1.9× Good
Ozone (O3) 14 µg/m³ 0.8× Good
Sulphur dioxide (SO2) 6.6 µg/m³ 0.2× Good
Carbon monoxide (CO) 972 µg/m³ 0.2× Good
Desert dust3 µg/m³
Smoke and haze (aerosol optical depth)0.50
UV index0.2

“Next 24 h vs WHO” compares the forecast with the World Health Organization’s 2021 guideline levels: 24-hour means of 15 µg/m³ for PM2.5, 45 for PM10, 25 for NO2, 40 for SO2 and 4 mg/m³ for CO, and 100 µg/m³ over 8 hours for ozone. Above 1× is above the guideline.

Next 48 hours

Hourly US AQI. Highest 178 around Sun 07:00, lowest 151 around Tue 00:00.

Good 0–50Moderate 51–100Sensitive 101–150Unhealthy 151–200Very unhealthy 201–300Hazardous 301+

5-day air quality forecast for Beijing

Daily range of the hourly US AQI, from lowest to highest, on a scale of 0 to 200.

DayUS AQIAt worstWorst hourPM2.5 avgUV max
Sun 27 Sept 153–188 Unhealthy 0:00 60 4.8
Mon 28 Sept 152–159 Unhealthy 17:00 57 4.5
Tue 29 Sept 151–164 Unhealthy 19:00 65 3.9
Wed 30 Sept 76–157 Unhealthy 0:00 42 5.0
Thu 1 Oct 115–165 Unhealthy 20:00 65 4.7

Common questions about the air in Beijing

  1. Is the air in Beijing safe today?

    No. Right now the US AQI in Beijing is 178, which counts as unhealthy. Everyone should cut back on outdoor exercise. Sensitive groups should stay indoors.

  2. When is the best time to be outside in Beijing?

    Sun 22:00–1:00. That is the cleanest stretch in the next 24 hours, with the US AQI averaging about 153. The worst hour is around Sun 07:00, at 178.

  3. What is the main pollutant in Beijing?

    Fine particles (PM2.5). It drives the index right now, at 71 µg/m³. Tiny particles from combustion, fires and dust that reach deep into the lungs. The main driver of AQI worldwide.

  4. How does Beijing's air compare with the WHO guideline?

    4.3 times the guideline. Over the next 24 hours PM2.5 averages about 64 µg/m³, against the World Health Organization's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³. PM10 and NO2 are also forecast above their guideline levels.

  5. How many cigarettes is a day of Beijing's air?

    About 2.9 cigarettes. Over the next 24 hours PM2.5 averages about 64 µg/m³. By Berkeley Earth's rule of thumb, 22 µg/m³ breathed for a day is roughly one cigarette.

  6. Will air quality in Beijing improve this week?

    Wednesday looks cleanest. Its AQI peaks at 157, against 188 on Sunday, the worst day in the forecast.

Air quality near Beijing

All 161 cities

About this forecast

Forecast from CAMS global via Open-Meteo: the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) model at about 40 km resolution (10 km inside Europe), refreshed twice a day. Models smooth out street-level peaks, so busy roads and industrial sites can be worse than shown; ground stations, where there are any nearby, show what monitors actually measure. The US AQI follows the US EPA scale and the European AQI the EEA bands. Readings for 39.90°N, 116.41°E, updated 2026-09-26 23:00 UTC.