Air quality in August: cleanest & most polluted destinations

Where the air is cleanest — and worst — to travel in August, ranked by the monthly-mean US Air Quality Index (AQI) across 600+ destinations. Lower is better: 0–50 is good, 100+ starts to bite, 150+ is unhealthy. Tap any place for its full August weather and air-quality breakdown.

Worst air quality in August

  1. 1Laayoune Western SaharaHazardous425
  2. 2Kuwait City 🇰🇼 KuwaitHazardous303
  3. 3Dakhla Western SaharaUnhealthy195
  4. 4Ürümqi 🇨🇳 ChinaUnhealthy180
  5. 5Riyadh 🇸🇦 Saudi ArabiaUnhealthy171
  6. 6Manama 🇧🇭 BahrainUnhealthy171
  7. 7Hotan 🇨🇳 ChinaUnhealthy171
  8. 8Jakarta 🇮🇩 IndonesiaUnhealthy168
  9. 9Salalah 🇴🇲 OmanUnhealthy161
  10. 10Doha 🇶🇦 QatarUnhealthy159
  11. 11Dubai 🇦🇪 United Arab EmiratesUnhealthy154
  12. 12Beijing 🇨🇳 ChinaUnhealthy154
  13. 13Chengdu 🇨🇳 ChinaUnhealthy151
  14. 14Nizwa 🇴🇲 OmanUnhealthy for sensitive groups150
  15. 15Baghdad 🇮🇶 IraqUnhealthy for sensitive groups149

Cleanest air in August

  1. 1Kona 🇺🇸 United StatesGood16
  2. 2Hawaii Volcanoes National Park 🇺🇸 United StatesGood17
  3. 3Hilo 🇺🇸 United StatesGood17
  4. 4Pohnpei 🇫🇲 MicronesiaGood17
  5. 5Honiara 🇸🇧 Solomon IslandsGood18
  6. 6Hua Hin 🇹🇭 ThailandGood18
  7. 7Boquete 🇵🇦 PanamaGood19
  8. 8La Fortuna 🇨🇷 Costa RicaGood19
  9. 9Monteverde 🇨🇷 Costa RicaGood19
  10. 10Raja Ampat 🇮🇩 IndonesiaGood19
  11. 11Falls Creek 🇦🇺 AustraliaGood20
  12. 12Kanchanaburi 🇹🇭 ThailandGood20
  13. 13Nadi 🇫🇯 FijiGood20
  14. 14Nelson 🇳🇿 New ZealandGood20
  15. 15Pai 🇹🇭 ThailandGood20