Air quality in Turkey: where to check and what to do

Short answer. Check the national Air Quality Monitoring Network (Ulusal Hava Kalitesi İzleme Ağı) through the e-Devlet portal: pick a station on the map to see its Air Quality Index (HKİ), updated hourly ¹. The HKİ has six levels, from "iyi" (good, 0-50) to "tehlikeli" (hazardous, 300-500) ¹. Fine particles in Turkish cities average about four times the WHO guideline ²⁴.

Where can I check air quality right now?

The Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change runs the national monitoring network and shares it through e-Devlet ¹. You choose a station on the map and see its measurements in µg/m³ and its HKİ class ¹. The data are live readings, updated hourly from the field ¹. For a detailed technical assessment of the air where you live, the page says to contact the Ministry ¹.

What do the index levels mean?

The HKİ classifies the air in six levels ¹:

Phaenyx found no official health advice attached to each HKİ level on the national page: it gives the levels and the readings, not what to do ¹. For how such indexes work, see Air quality index explained.

How polluted is the air on average?

Fine particles are the main problem. The population-weighted median of Turkish cities shows about 21 µg/m³ of PM2.5 (annual mean 2021-2023) ², roughly four times the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³ ⁴. Nitrogen dioxide is about 9.2 µg/m³ ³, just under the WHO guideline of 10 µg/m³ ⁴. That NO2 figure is a regional background over roughly 80 km: a busy street will be higher. These are city medians: a given town can be cleaner or more polluted.

What should I do on a bad air day, or with smoke or dust?

• Bad air days: check your nearest station on e-Devlet ¹ and see Pollution episodes and Sensitive people and polluted air. For children, see Children and polluted air.
• Ozone: see Ozone days.
• Wildfire smoke: see Wildfire smoke, A clean-air room at home and Masks for smoke.
• Dust: see Dust storms.

For official warning signals in Turkey, see our Turkey alerts page. A household plan can list who in your home is sensitive to polluted air and where to shelter.

Frequently asked questions

What is the HKİ?

Turkey's Air Quality Index (Hava Kalitesi İndeksi), which classifies air as good, moderate, sensitive, unhealthy, bad or hazardous on a 0-500 scale ¹.

How often is Turkish air quality data updated?

Hourly: the e-Devlet service shows live station readings updated every hour ¹.

Is Turkey's air above WHO guidelines?

For fine particles, yes: about 21 µg/m³ of PM2.5 in the median city, against a WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³ ²⁴. Regional NO2 is just below the guideline ³⁴.

Does Turkey publish advice for each air quality level?

Phaenyx found no per-level health advice on the national monitoring page ¹. Use the guides above.

Sources

1. Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change (ÇŞİDB), via e-Devlet Kapısı — Çevre, Şehircilik ve İklim Değişikliği Bakanlığı - Ulusal Hava Kalitesi İzleme Ağı Kurum Portalı — https://www.turkiye.gov.tr/cevre-ve-sehircilik-ulusal-hava-kalite-izleme-agi (accessed 2026-10-27)
2. Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group (ACAG), Washington University in St. Louis — Surface PM2.5, V6.GL.02.04 (annual mean 2021-2023) — https://sites.wustl.edu/acag/datasets/surface-pm2-5/ (accessed 2026-10-27)
3. Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) — CAMS global reanalysis (EAC4) — https://ads.atmosphere.copernicus.eu/ (accessed 2026-10-27)
4. World Health Organization (WHO) — WHO global air quality guidelines (2021) — https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240034228 (accessed 2026-10-27)