Air quality in October: cleanest & most polluted destinations

Where the air is cleanest — and worst — to travel in October, 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 October weather and air-quality breakdown.

Worst air quality in October

  1. 1Ürümqi 🇨🇳 ChinaVery unhealthy234
  2. 2Damascus 🇸🇾 SyriaVery unhealthy219
  3. 3Riyadh 🇸🇦 Saudi ArabiaUnhealthy192
  4. 4Kuwait City 🇰🇼 KuwaitUnhealthy184
  5. 5Dakhla Western SaharaUnhealthy166
  6. 6Jakarta 🇮🇩 IndonesiaUnhealthy164
  7. 7Laayoune Western SaharaUnhealthy163
  8. 8Beijing 🇨🇳 ChinaUnhealthy155
  9. 9Lahore 🇵🇰 PakistanUnhealthy for sensitive groups147
  10. 10Mumbai 🇮🇳 IndiaUnhealthy for sensitive groups145
  11. 11Aswan 🇪🇬 EgyptUnhealthy for sensitive groups145
  12. 12Delhi 🇮🇳 IndiaUnhealthy for sensitive groups142
  13. 13White Sands National Park 🇺🇸 United StatesUnhealthy for sensitive groups138
  14. 14Amritsar 🇮🇳 IndiaUnhealthy for sensitive groups138
  15. 15Bandung 🇮🇩 IndonesiaUnhealthy for sensitive groups136

Cleanest air in October

  1. 1Honiara 🇸🇧 Solomon IslandsGood12
  2. 2Boquete 🇵🇦 PanamaGood15
  3. 3La Fortuna 🇨🇷 Costa RicaGood15
  4. 4Monteverde 🇨🇷 Costa RicaGood15
  5. 5Kona 🇺🇸 United StatesGood17
  6. 6Malabo 🇬🇶 Equatorial GuineaGood18
  7. 7Manuel Antonio 🇨🇷 Costa RicaGood18
  8. 8Palomino 🇨🇴 ColombiaGood18
  9. 9Hawaii Volcanoes National Park 🇺🇸 United StatesGood19
  10. 10Hilo 🇺🇸 United StatesGood19
  11. 11Majuro 🇲🇭 Marshall IslandsGood19
  12. 12Nadi 🇫🇯 FijiGood19
  13. 13Nosara 🇨🇷 Costa RicaGood19
  14. 14Pohnpei 🇫🇲 MicronesiaGood20
  15. 15Bocas del Toro 🇵🇦 PanamaGood21