What is the cleanest city in the world by air quality?

Longyearbyen, Svalbard (Norway) ranks as the world's cleanest monitored city with a composite US AQI of 8 and PM2.5 of just 1.9 µg/m³ — well below the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³. Other top contenders include Whitehorse (Canada), Yellowknife (Canada), and remote Pacific island capitals.

What does AQI mean and how is it calculated?

The US AQI (Air Quality Index) converts measured pollutant concentrations into a 0–500 scale. 0–50 is Good (green), 51–100 is Moderate, 101–150 is Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, 151–200 is Unhealthy, and higher values are Very Unhealthy or Hazardous. This site uses a composite AQI calculated as the maximum AQI across PM2.5, PM10, NO2, ozone and CO for each city.

Which continent has the cleanest air overall?

Oceania and North America consistently rank as the continents with the cleanest air quality. Remote Pacific island nations (Palau, Tuvalu, Marshall Islands, Micronesia) record some of the lowest PM2.5 concentrations on Earth. In North America, cities in Canada's Yukon and Northwest Territories lead the global rankings.

What is a good PM2.5 level to live in?

The WHO 2021 annual guideline for PM2.5 is 5 µg/m³. Cities below this threshold offer the healthiest long-term air for residents. A US AQI of 0–50 (PM2.5 below 9 µg/m³) is classified as Good. For comparison, many European and North American cities with Good AQI average 5–15 µg/m³, while polluted Asian cities can exceed 50–100 µg/m³ annually.

Cleanest Cities in Oceania 2026 — Air Quality Rankings

Top 50 Cleanest Cities in Oceania by Air Quality

#	City	Continent	AQI	PM2.5
1	West Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands	Oceania	AQI 10	PM2.5 2.4 µg/m³
2	Flying Fish Cove, Christmas Island	Oceania	AQI 11	PM2.5 2.6 µg/m³
3	Kingston, Norfolk Island	Oceania	AQI 12	PM2.5 2.9 µg/m³
4	Mata-Utu, Wallis and Futuna	Oceania	AQI 12	PM2.5 2.9 µg/m³
5	Alofi, Niue	Oceania	AQI 13	PM2.5 3 µg/m³
6	Koror, Palau	Oceania	AQI 17	PM2.5 4 µg/m³
7	Hobart, Australia	Oceania	AQI 20	PM2.5 4.5 µg/m³
8	Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands	Oceania	AQI 20	PM2.5 4.8 µg/m³
9	Funafuti, Tuvalu	Oceania	AQI 20	PM2.5 4.9 µg/m³
10	Wellington, New Zealand	Oceania	AQI 22	PM2.5 4 µg/m³
11	Avarua, Cook Islands	Oceania	AQI 22	PM2.5 5 µg/m³
12	Kerikeri, New Zealand	Oceania	AQI 22	PM2.5 5.2 µg/m³
13	Darwin, Australia	Oceania	AQI 23	PM2.5 5.5 µg/m³
14	Adelaide, Australia	Oceania	AQI 23	PM2.5 5.5 µg/m³
15	Cairns, Australia	Oceania	AQI 23	PM2.5 5.5 µg/m³
16	Mackay, Australia	Oceania	AQI 23	PM2.5 5.5 µg/m³
17	Rockhampton, Australia	Oceania	AQI 23	PM2.5 5.5 µg/m³
18	Queenstown, New Zealand	Oceania	AQI 23	PM2.5 5.5 µg/m³
19	Yaren, Nauru	Oceania	AQI 23	PM2.5 5.4 µg/m³
20	Townsville, Australia	Oceania	AQI 24	PM2.5 5.5 µg/m³
21	Melbourne, Australia	Oceania	AQI 25	PM2.5 6 µg/m³
22	Perth, Australia	Oceania	AQI 25	PM2.5 6 µg/m³
23	Canberra, Australia	Oceania	AQI 25	PM2.5 6 µg/m³
24	Geelong, Australia	Oceania	AQI 25	PM2.5 6 µg/m³
25	Mandurah, Australia	Oceania	AQI 25	PM2.5 6 µg/m³
26	Auckland, New Zealand	Oceania	AQI 25	PM2.5 6 µg/m³
27	Blenheim, New Zealand	Oceania	AQI 25	PM2.5 6 µg/m³
28	Nouméa, New Caledonia	Oceania	AQI 25	PM2.5 6 µg/m³
29	Whanganui, New Zealand	Oceania	AQI 26	PM2.5 6.2 µg/m³
30	Palikir, Micronesia	Oceania	AQI 26	PM2.5 6.2 µg/m³
31	Brisbane, Australia	Oceania	AQI 27	PM2.5 6.5 µg/m³
32	Gold Coast, Australia	Oceania	AQI 27	PM2.5 6.5 µg/m³
33	Sunshine Coast, Australia	Oceania	AQI 27	PM2.5 6.5 µg/m³
34	Toowoomba, Australia	Oceania	AQI 27	PM2.5 6.5 µg/m³
35	Bunbury, Australia	Oceania	AQI 27	PM2.5 6.5 µg/m³
36	Tauranga, New Zealand	Oceania	AQI 27	PM2.5 6.5 µg/m³
37	Palmerston North, New Zealand	Oceania	AQI 27	PM2.5 6.5 µg/m³
38	Napier, New Zealand	Oceania	AQI 27	PM2.5 6.5 µg/m³
39	Nelson, New Zealand	Oceania	AQI 27	PM2.5 6.5 µg/m³
40	Gisborne, New Zealand	Oceania	AQI 27	PM2.5 6.5 µg/m³
41	Hastings, New Zealand	Oceania	AQI 27	PM2.5 6.5 µg/m³
42	Majuro, Marshall Islands	Oceania	AQI 27	PM2.5 6.5 µg/m³
43	Sydney, Australia	Oceania	AQI 29	PM2.5 7 µg/m³
44	Newcastle, Australia	Oceania	AQI 29	PM2.5 7 µg/m³
45	Hamilton, New Zealand	Oceania	AQI 29	PM2.5 7 µg/m³
46	Albury-Wodonga, Australia	Oceania	AQI 29	PM2.5 7 µg/m³
47	Geraldton, Australia	Oceania	AQI 29	PM2.5 7 µg/m³
48	New Plymouth, New Zealand	Oceania	AQI 29	PM2.5 7 µg/m³
49	Invercargill, New Zealand	Oceania	AQI 29	PM2.5 7 µg/m³
50	Papeete, French Polynesia	Oceania	AQI 29	PM2.5 7 µg/m³