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Riyadh air quality

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

171

Unhealthy

US AQI, mostly PM10

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

Next 24 hours
171–1153US AQI, highest around Mon 01:00
Best time outside
Sun 02:00–5:00US AQI about 178
PM2.5 vs WHO guideline
11×158 µg/m³ over 24 h, guideline 15
Cigarette equivalent
≈ 7.2 a dayBerkeley Earth rule of thumb
European AQI
Extremely poorlevel 6 of 6

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

Pollutants in Riyadh right now

PollutantNowNext 24 h vs WHOUS AQI band
Fine particles (PM2.5) 81 µg/m³ 11× Unhealthy
Coarse particles (PM10) 447 µg/m³ 28× Hazardous
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) 76 µg/m³ 1.6× Good
Ozone (O3) 8.0 µg/m³ 0.9× Good
Sulphur dioxide (SO2) 58 µg/m³ 1.0× Good
Carbon monoxide (CO) 244 µg/m³ 0.1× Good
Desert dust880 µg/m³
Smoke and haze (aerosol optical depth)0.51
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 1198 around Mon 18:00, lowest 171 around Sun 02:00.

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

5-day air quality forecast for Riyadh

Daily range of the hourly US AQI, from lowest to highest, on a scale of 0 to 1200.

DayUS AQIAt worstWorst hourPM2.5 avgUV max
Sun 27 Sept 170–1080 Hazardous 23:00 152 7.7
Mon 28 Sept 1051–1198 Hazardous 18:00 149 7.8
Tue 29 Sept 499–1024 Hazardous 0:00 89 7.5
Wed 30 Sept 455–606 Hazardous 23:00 99 7.0
Thu 1 Oct 617–813 Hazardous 10:00 109 7.7

Common questions about the air in Riyadh

  1. Is the air in Riyadh safe today?

    No. Right now the US AQI in Riyadh is 171, which counts as unhealthy. Everyone should cut back on outdoor exercise. Sensitive groups should stay indoors. It is expected to reach 1153 (hazardous) around Mon 01:00.

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

    Sun 02:00–5:00. That is the cleanest stretch in the next 24 hours, with the US AQI averaging about 178. The worst hour is around Mon 01:00, at 1153.

  3. What is the main pollutant in Riyadh?

    Coarse particles (PM10). It drives the index right now, at 447 µg/m³. Dust, pollen and road grit. Irritates the airways and spikes during sand storms and construction.

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

    11 times the guideline. Over the next 24 hours PM2.5 averages about 158 µg/m³, against the World Health Organization's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³. PM10, NO2 and SO2 are also forecast above their guideline levels.

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

    About 7.2 cigarettes. Over the next 24 hours PM2.5 averages about 158 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 Riyadh improve this week?

    Wednesday looks cleanest. Its AQI peaks at 606, against 1198 on Monday, the worst day in the forecast.

Air quality near Riyadh

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 24.71°N, 46.68°E, updated 2026-09-26 23:00 UTC.