Air Pollution in Thailand – What months are to be avoided?
I pretty much love Thailand and the Thai people. Every day is a relaxed day at the beach with plenty of very inexpensive and good food to eat. I arrived in Thailand in March of 2024. Everything was perfect. The year was wonderful.
It was my first Christmas spent not in America and it was pretty great.
Then the first week of January 2025 came around and everything changed. The air changed. I woke up one day and the sky was an ugly grey instead of a beautiful blue. School in Bangkok closed for days on end due to sudden pollution. People started wearing masks.
The second day of ugly grey skies in Pattaya and I woke up not feeling well. It was the first time I did not feel perfect in a year. I guessed it was tied to the pollution. To resolve this. I got a taxi and went to a store and purchased the best air purifier I could. I did not go out of my room except to get food and I ran the air purifier 24 hours a day. A couple days later I felt fine.
Below is a snap shot of air quality in Bangkok Thailand and Atlanta Georgia, USA. This comparison is not entirely fair as in Bangkok it is day time so more people are driving and in Atlanta it is night and so there are fewer people driving. However, it is still helps you understand what pollution in Thailand can be like, especially as Atlanta is not exactly known for having the best air condition.
What does this all mean for you? For me, it means that I will not be in Thailand January or February it is just unhealthy. Lots of people are at the beach playing and having fun, but I think this is naive and or stupid as they are breathing in very unhealth air.
Air Pollution Thailand
Air pollution is not something I ever really gave much thought to until spending time here in Thailand. To see such a wonderful place transform into such an ugly place for a couple month each year is depressing. Air pollution in the 150 or higher range can cause severe health problems, including respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and cancer.
Ask any Thai person and they either know someone or have heard of something who got a serious illness or died from the air pollution. Again, January and February are to be avoided completely. Come to Thailand in March.
What causes air pollution in Thailand?
• Vehicle emissions
• Farmers burning their fields at the beginning of January
• Summer time means less wind and less wind means the pollution sticks around
In 2024, Thailand had over 1 million respiratory cases directly linked to air pollution.
I do not want to paint some horrible picture of Thailand. I love it here. Life is great and everyone should come spend some time. However, for two months a year it is just an unhealth place and should be avoided. Then around March, the air clears out and everything is good.
It is one thing for me to discuss air pollution in Thailand and another to see it in pictures. Below are 5 images. The top 3 are taken in May, July and then September 2024. The bottom 2 were taken in January and February 2025. See if you can tell the difference in quality of the air.
Thailand is well worth your time. It is not a place to be in January and February. Unless they get thing under control, March will likely be a month you should avoid as well. Pattaya is never a place to bring your kids.
Bringing kids of any age to Thailand in January and February is just hugely irresponsible, in my opinion. The air during those month are incredibly unhealthy.
Today I walked a block to my favorite street vendor of food. He was cooking over an open fire. Temperature was 92 F, there was no wind and air quality index (AQI) was 110. Of there 5 of us waiting for food to be cooked, 3 of us had the occasional cough.
Come to Thailand and enjoy the great food, beaches and people when the air is good.
