Air quality in the UAE: where to check and what to do

Short answer. Check the National Center of Meteorology's (NCM) National Air Quality Platform, which shows the air quality index for monitoring stations across the UAE ¹. The Emirates Air Quality Index (EAQI) runs from 0 to 500 in six categories, from "Good" to "Hazardous", and is reported every hour ². City air is heavily polluted on average: fine particles are about ten times the WHO guideline ⁴⁶.

Where can I check air quality right now?

The NCM's National Air Quality Platform lets you pick a monitoring station and see its current index category ¹. In Abu Dhabi, the Environment Agency (EAD) also runs its own air quality site with station readings ³. The EAQI is reported every hour, as soon as readings are available ².

What do the index levels mean?

The EAQI is based on six pollutants: sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, carbon monoxide, PM10 and PM2.5 ². The pollutant with the highest sub-index sets the overall value ². The official categories ²:

The guide defines sensitive groups as people with heart or lung disease, older people, infants and children, pregnant women and people with diabetes, among others ². At "Very unhealthy" it suggests activating health alerts, and at "Hazardous" health alerts are issued ². Note that the "Good" band allows a 24-hour PM2.5 average up to 50 µg/m³, set on the WHO's interim target 2 rather than its guideline ². See Air quality index explained.

How polluted is the air on average?

Heavily. The population-weighted median of UAE cities shows about 48 µg/m³ of PM2.5 (annual mean 2021-2023) ⁴, against a WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³ ⁶. Nitrogen dioxide is about 51 µg/m³ ⁵, five times the WHO guideline of 10 µg/m³ ⁶. That NO2 figure is a regional background over roughly 80 km: a busy road will be higher.

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

• Check before going out: look at the nearest station on the NCM platform ¹, especially if someone in your home is in a sensitive group ². See Sensitive people and polluted air and Children and polluted air.
• Dust and sand: no official household advice for dust days was found on the platform. See Dust storms, A clean-air room at home and Masks for smoke and dust.
• Ozone and pollution episodes: see Ozone days and Pollution episodes.
• Official warnings: see our UAE alerts page.

A household plan can list who in your home is sensitive to polluted air and which room to keep closed on bad days.

Frequently asked questions

Is the EAQI the same as the US AQI?

It follows the US EPA method, adapted to UAE conditions and national standards, with its own breakpoints ².

How often is the index updated?

Every hour ².

Who counts as a sensitive group?

People with heart or lung disease, older people, infants and children, pregnant women and people with diabetes, among others ².

Is PM2.5 in the UAE above the WHO guideline?

Yes. The city median is about 48 µg/m³ per year ⁴, against 5 µg/m³ ⁶.

Sources

1. National Center of Meteorology (NCM) — National Air Quality Platform — https://airquality.ncm.gov.ae/ (accessed 2026-10-27)
2. National Center of Meteorology (NCM) — Guide for calculating the Emirates Air Quality Index (EAQI), 2023 — https://airquality.ncm.gov.ae/resources/pdf/aqi-quickguide-ar-2023.pdf (accessed 2026-10-27)
3. Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) — Abu Dhabi Air Quality — https://www.adairquality.ae/ (accessed 2026-10-27)
4. 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)
5. Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) — CAMS global reanalysis (EAC4) — https://ads.atmosphere.copernicus.eu/ (accessed 2026-10-27)
6. World Health Organization (WHO) — WHO global air quality guidelines (2021) — https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240034228 (accessed 2026-10-27)