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Kathmandu119Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups

Kathmandu, Nepal · Live air quality

119
AQI · US scale
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups

You're looking at Kathmandu's air right now — US AQI 119, unhealthy for sensitive groups, driven by PM2.5.

Kathmandu Institute of Applied Sciences (KIAS) · 1 station · updated · source: OpenAQ

World › Kathmandu

Kathmandu Air Quality Index (AQI) Today

Live air quality in Kathmandu, Nepal — real-time US AQI, PM2.5 & PM10 and a plain-English health advisory, from OpenAQ station data.

Is it safe to go out in Kathmandu today?

Mostly — Kathmandu's US AQI is 119 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups). Children, older adults and people with heart/lung conditions should limit prolonged outdoor exertion.

▼ 2 lower than yesterday

Where 119 sits on the US EPA scale

119
0GoodModeratePoorSevere500

Kathmandu air quality forecast

15°C · wind 1 km/h

Light 1 km/h winds are letting pollution linger today.

Today139Unhealthy for Sensitive Groupslow 132
Tomorrow141Unhealthy for Sensitive Groupslow 125
Sun125Unhealthy for Sensitive Groupslow 113

3-day forecast modelled by Open-Meteo on the US EPA scale. Forecasts are estimates and can change — the live reading above is measured.

What you can do outside right now

Outdoor exercise
Ease off if sensitive
Windows
Limit at peak hours
Mask outdoors
Optional (sensitive)
Kids’ outdoor play
Shorten sessions
Air purifier
Helpful indoors
Commute
Prefer enclosed

General guidance by AQI band. Sensitive groups should act one level earlier.

Live pollutant levels

PM2.542.6 µg/m³
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups · index 119

Computed on the US EPA AQI scale from PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations; the city AQI is the higher sub-index (the dominant pollutant). Bars show the sub-index out of 500.

What this air does to your body

1.9
cigarettes/day equivalent
Breathing today's PM2.5 (43 µg/m³) is roughly like smoking 1.9 cigarettes a day — Berkeley Earth's rule of thumb (22 µg/m³ ≈ 1 cigarette).
−3.7 yr
life-expectancy impact
If this level held all year, it would cut average life expectancy by about 3.7 years versus the WHO guideline (5 µg/m³), per the AQLI method.

Illustrative equivalences from published research (Berkeley Earth; Air Quality Life Index, University of Chicago). Not a medical assessment of your personal risk.

24-hour AQI graph

min 90 · max 151
0501001502004pm: AQI 146 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups)4pm5pm: AQI 141 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups)6pm: AQI 136 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups)7pm: AQI 133 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups)8pm: AQI 132 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups)8pm9pm: AQI 128 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups)10pm: AQI 122 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups)11pm: AQI 121 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups)12am: AQI 118 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups)12am1am: AQI 138 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups)2am: AQI 128 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups)3am: AQI 134 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups)4am: AQI 151 (Unhealthy)4am5am: AQI 149 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups)6am: AQI 99 (Moderate)7am: AQI 91 (Moderate)8am: AQI 90 (Moderate)8am9am: AQI 99 (Moderate)10am: AQI 104 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups)11am: AQI 104 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups)12pm: AQI 112 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups)12pm1pm: AQI 124 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups)2pm: AQI 117 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups)3pm: AQI 119 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups)3pm

Hourly AQI recorded each hour by DailyAQI (local time). Fills to a rolling 24 hours.

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What Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups air means for you

Members of sensitive groups may experience health effects; the general public is less likely to be affected.

Health guidance per US EPA AQI categories. Informational only — not medical advice.

US AQI categories

AQICategoryHealth impact
0–50GoodAir quality is satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk.
51–100ModerateAir quality is acceptable. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
101–150Unhealthy for Sensitive GroupsMembers of sensitive groups may experience health effects; the general public is less likely to be affected.
151–200UnhealthySome members of the general public may experience health effects; sensitive groups may experience more serious effects.
201–300Very UnhealthyHealth alert: the risk of health effects is increased for everyone.
301–500HazardousHealth warning of emergency conditions; everyone is more likely to be affected. Stay indoors.

Monitoring location

Approximate location of the monitoring station(s) feeding this reading. Map © OpenStreetMap.

About air quality in Kathmandu

This page tracks the Kathmandu Air Quality Index using measurements from public monitoring stations aggregated by OpenAQ, reported on the US EPA AQI scale — the international standard used by most worldwide air-quality services. The index runs from 0 to 500; the higher the number, the more polluted the air and the greater the health concern. It is calculated here from fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and coarse particulate matter (PM10), the pollutants that most often drive urban air quality.

Air quality in Kathmandu varies through the day and across seasons with traffic, industry, weather and — in many regions — seasonal biomass or crop burning. Checking the live reading before outdoor exercise or a commute helps you decide whether to adjust timing, wear a mask, or keep windows closed. We only display a number when a recent station reading exists; if you see "data updating", we are waiting on fresh data rather than showing an estimate.

Air quality near Kathmandu

All world cities →

Other monitored cities near Kathmandu, with their live US AQI.

Frequently asked questions

What is the AQI in Kathmandu today?

The current US EPA Air Quality Index in Kathmandu is 119 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups), driven by PM2.5.

Is it safe to go outside in Kathmandu today?

Mostly — Kathmandu's US AQI is 119 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups). Children, older adults and people with heart/lung conditions should limit prolonged outdoor exertion.

Which AQI scale is used here?

International cities use the US EPA AQI scale (0–500), the global standard also used by most worldwide air-quality services, computed from PM2.5 and PM10. Indian cities on this site use India's national CPCB scale.

How is Kathmandu's AQI measured?

From public monitoring stations aggregated by OpenAQ. We only show a reading when a station has reported within the last few hours; otherwise the page says "data updating".

What is the air quality forecast for Kathmandu tomorrow?

Air in Kathmandu is forecast to stay similar tomorrow, around AQI 141 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups). Forecasts are modelled estimates (Open-Meteo) and can change.