Busan air quality
South Korea · Live AQI and hourly forecast for the next 5 days · updated Sun 08:00 local time
Moderate
Acceptable. Unusually sensitive people should ease off long, intense outdoor effort.
- Next 24 hours
- 59–64US AQI, highest around Mon 06:00
- Best time outside
- Sun 13:00–16:00US AQI about 59
- PM2.5 vs WHO guideline
- 1.1×17 µg/m³ over 24 h, guideline 15
- Cigarette equivalent
- ≈ 0.8 a dayBerkeley Earth rule of thumb
- European AQI
- Moderatelevel 3 of 6
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Pollutants in Busan right now
| Pollutant | Now | Next 24 h vs WHO | US AQI band |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fine particles (PM2.5) | 14 µg/m³ | 1.1× | Moderate |
| Coarse particles (PM10) | 16 µg/m³ | 0.4× | Good |
| Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) | 54 µg/m³ | 1.8× | Good |
| Ozone (O3) | 31 µg/m³ | 0.9× | Good |
| Sulphur dioxide (SO2) | 18 µg/m³ | 0.4× | Good |
| Carbon monoxide (CO) | 234 µg/m³ | 0.1× | Good |
| Desert dust | 1 µg/m³ | ||
| Smoke and haze (aerosol optical depth) | 0.23 | ||
| UV index | 0.5 |
“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 80 around Tue 06:00, lowest 59 around Sun 13:00.
5-day air quality forecast for Busan
Daily range of the hourly US AQI, from lowest to highest, on a scale of 0 to 150.
| Day | US AQI | At worst | PM2.5 avg | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 27 Sept | 57–60 | 15 | ||
| Mon 28 Sept | 60–77 | 23 | ||
| Tue 29 Sept | 68–80 | 18 | ||
| Wed 30 Sept | 59–67 | 18 | ||
| Thu 1 Oct | 63–72 | 16 |
Common questions about the air in Busan
Is the air in Busan safe today?
For most people, yes. Right now the US AQI in Busan is 60, which counts as moderate. Acceptable. Unusually sensitive people should ease off long, intense outdoor effort.
When is the best time to be outside in Busan?
Sun 13:00–16:00. That is the cleanest stretch in the next 24 hours, with the US AQI averaging about 59. The worst hour is around Mon 06:00, at 64.
What is the main pollutant in Busan?
Fine particles (PM2.5). It drives the index right now, at 14 µg/m³. Tiny particles from combustion, fires and dust that reach deep into the lungs. The main driver of AQI worldwide.
How does Busan's air compare with the WHO guideline?
1.1 times the guideline. Over the next 24 hours PM2.5 averages about 17 µg/m³, against the World Health Organization's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³. NO2 is also forecast above its guideline level.
How many cigarettes is a day of Busan's air?
About 0.8 cigarettes. Over the next 24 hours PM2.5 averages about 17 µg/m³. By Berkeley Earth's rule of thumb, 22 µg/m³ breathed for a day is roughly one cigarette.
Will air quality in Busan improve this week?
Today looks cleanest. Its AQI peaks at 60, against 80 on Tuesday, the worst day in the forecast.
Air quality near Busan
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 35.18°N, 129.08°E, updated 2026-09-26 23:00 UTC.