Dubai air quality
United Arab Emirates · Live AQI and hourly forecast for the next 5 days · updated Sun 04:00 local time
Unhealthy
Everyone should cut back on outdoor exercise. Sensitive groups should stay indoors.
- Next 24 hours
- 161–167US AQI, highest around Mon 02:00
- Best time outside
- Sun 04:00–7:00US AQI about 161
- PM2.5 vs WHO guideline
- 5.3×80 µg/m³ over 24 h, guideline 15
- Cigarette equivalent
- ≈ 3.6 a dayBerkeley Earth rule of thumb
- European AQI
- Poorlevel 4 of 6
Loading the live globe…
Pollutants in Dubai right now
| Pollutant | Now | Next 24 h vs WHO | US AQI band |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fine particles (PM2.5) | 84 µg/m³ | 5.3× | Unhealthy |
| Coarse particles (PM10) | 122 µg/m³ | 2.3× | Moderate |
| Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) | 88 µg/m³ | 2.7× | Good |
| Ozone (O3) | 8.0 µg/m³ | 1.2× | Good |
| Sulphur dioxide (SO2) | 33 µg/m³ | 0.9× | Good |
| Carbon monoxide (CO) | 793 µg/m³ | 0.2× | Good |
| Desert dust | 59 µg/m³ | ||
| Smoke and haze (aerosol optical depth) | 0.50 | ||
| UV index | 0.0 |
“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 167 around Mon 02:00, lowest 156 around Tue 03:00.
5-day air quality forecast for Dubai
Daily range of the hourly US AQI, from lowest to highest, on a scale of 0 to 200.
| Day | US AQI | At worst | PM2.5 avg | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 27 Sept | 160–166 | 78 | ||
| Mon 28 Sept | 160–167 | 68 | ||
| Tue 29 Sept | 150–159 | 56 | ||
| Wed 30 Sept | 138–150 | 51 | ||
| Thu 1 Oct | 140–149 | 53 |
Common questions about the air in Dubai
Is the air in Dubai safe today?
No. Right now the US AQI in Dubai is 161, which counts as unhealthy. Everyone should cut back on outdoor exercise. Sensitive groups should stay indoors.
When is the best time to be outside in Dubai?
Sun 04:00–7:00. That is the cleanest stretch in the next 24 hours, with the US AQI averaging about 161. The worst hour is around Mon 02:00, at 167.
What is the main pollutant in Dubai?
Fine particles (PM2.5). It drives the index right now, at 84 µg/m³. Tiny particles from combustion, fires and dust that reach deep into the lungs. The main driver of AQI worldwide.
How does Dubai's air compare with the WHO guideline?
5.3 times the guideline. Over the next 24 hours PM2.5 averages about 80 µg/m³, against the World Health Organization's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³. PM10, NO2 and O3 are also forecast above their guideline levels.
How many cigarettes is a day of Dubai's air?
About 3.6 cigarettes. Over the next 24 hours PM2.5 averages about 80 µg/m³. By Berkeley Earth's rule of thumb, 22 µg/m³ breathed for a day is roughly one cigarette.
Will air quality in Dubai improve this week?
Thursday looks cleanest. Its AQI peaks at 149, against 167 on Monday, the worst day in the forecast.
Air quality near Dubai
- Abu Dhabi 123 km SW
- Doha 376 km W
- Kuwait City 857 km NW
- Riyadh 868 km W
- Karachi 1,182 km E
- Tehran 1,223 km N
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 25.20°N, 55.27°E, updated 2026-09-27 00:00 UTC.