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Johannesburg air quality

South Africa · Live AQI and hourly forecast for the next 5 days · updated Sun 02:00 local time

71

Moderate

US AQI, mostly PM2.5

Acceptable. Unusually sensitive people should ease off long, intense outdoor effort.

Next 24 hours
67–76US AQI, highest around Sun 08:00
Best time outside
Sun 23:00–2:00US AQI about 67
PM2.5 vs WHO guideline
1.2×17 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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The live globe, centred on Johannesburg. Switch pollutants, drag through the next 5 days or press play. Full map →

Pollutants in Johannesburg right now

PollutantNowNext 24 h vs WHOUS AQI band
Fine particles (PM2.5) 32 µg/m³ 1.2× Moderate
Coarse particles (PM10) 32 µg/m³ 0.4× Good
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) 32 µg/m³ 0.5× Good
Ozone (O3) 52 µg/m³ 1.2× Good
Sulphur dioxide (SO2) 46 µg/m³ 0.6× Good
Carbon monoxide (CO) 211 µg/m³ 0.1× Good
Desert dust0 µg/m³
Smoke and haze (aerosol optical depth)0.21
UV index0.0

“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 76 around Sun 08:00, lowest 57 around Tue 00:00.

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

5-day air quality forecast for Johannesburg

Daily range of the hourly US AQI, from lowest to highest, on a scale of 0 to 150.

DayUS AQIAt worstWorst hourPM2.5 avgUV max
Sun 27 Sept 68–76 Moderate 8:00 18 7.8
Mon 28 Sept 58–75 Moderate 18:00 13 9.2
Tue 29 Sept 40–57 Moderate 0:00 7.2 3.1
Wed 30 Sept 35–40 Good 0:00 6.9 1.4
Thu 1 Oct 38–43 Good 8:00 7.2 4.1

Common questions about the air in Johannesburg

  1. Is the air in Johannesburg safe today?

    For most people, yes. Right now the US AQI in Johannesburg is 71, which counts as moderate. Acceptable. Unusually sensitive people should ease off long, intense outdoor effort.

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

    Sun 23:00–2:00. That is the cleanest stretch in the next 24 hours, with the US AQI averaging about 67. The worst hour is around Sun 08:00, at 76.

  3. What is the main pollutant in Johannesburg?

    Fine particles (PM2.5). It drives the index right now, at 32 µg/m³. Tiny particles from combustion, fires and dust that reach deep into the lungs. The main driver of AQI worldwide.

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

    1.2 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. O3 is also forecast above its guideline level.

  5. How many cigarettes is a day of Johannesburg'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.

  6. Will air quality in Johannesburg improve this week?

    Wednesday looks cleanest. Its AQI peaks at 40, against 76 on Sunday, the worst day in the forecast.

Measured near Johannesburg

StationDistancePM2.5 µg/m³Measured
Unnamed sensor Sensor.Community, low-cost sensor 21 km 4.0 Sun 01:48

Air quality near Johannesburg

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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 26.20°S, 28.05°E, updated 2026-09-27 00:00 UTC.