Ankara - Post Report Question and Answers
What is the air quality like at post (good/moderate/bad)? Are there seasonal air quality issues? Does the air quality have an impact on health?
The air quality can get poor in the winter though how bad you think it is likely will depend on where in the world you’re comparing it to. Coming from China? It’s fine. Coming from Sweden? It’s less fine. - Nov 2023
Park Oran is a the top of a giant hill and the air seems pretty clear. However, when you drive down the hill into the city center you can see how bad the pollution is. It seems to be worse in the winter. - Jan 2023
Air quality is such a relative thing! It is much better than Cairo and Delhi! Ankara is shaped like a bowl. Downtown is the bottom of the bowl. It gets worse air and there are winter days you can really see the haze. Some of the housing is up the bowl, particularly Park Oran. We rarely have bad air. I have my own air monitor and I measured last winter outside on days that looked the worst and we didn't get over about 150 AQI and most days were under 100. If air pollution is a serious concern for you, request Park Oran. The other housing is lower down and will get slightly worse air. - Nov 2021
There are air quality issues in the winter when many homes still burn coal for heating, and many people with seasonal allergies find that Ankara can be difficult during certain parts of the year. - Sep 2020
Ankara can see a high degree of particulate matter hover over the city during spells without rain. Very few folks we knew were impacted. - Oct 2018
The air quality is really bad. Ankara is a big city, and it seems to be horribly polluted. I feel like a dark cloud of pollution hangs over the city. I believe the air gets worse in the winter due to the burning coal, and I had bronchitis twice a year, due to the pollution. - Oct 2018
Not bad at all. Some people have allergies due to the plants, but minimal. - Sep 2018
The air quality is better higher up the mountain than downtown. - Jul 2018
Ankara is a bowl, so in winter all that pollution collects downtown where the Embassy is. It's not uncommon in winter for it to be raining at the embassy, but up on the edge of the bowl at the edge of the city (Oran) for it to be snowing. - Oct 2017
The air quality varies. It is very dry and some people have issues when they first get here and in the winter the air can worsen due to coal heat being used among the poorer communities. It doesn't compare to Mexico City or Chinese cities though. I'd say it's usually good and can get to moderate on the worst days. - Sep 2017
The air quality is good but dry. I like spending time outdoors and I haven't had any issues. - Jun 2017
Generally good. There are some smoggy days, but nothing like Hong Kong, Beijing, etc. - Sep 2016
Allergies can be bad, especially in the spring. - Jun 2016
In Oran, on the hill/ridge to the south, we had a lot of wind, and therefore reasonable air quality most of the time. Our son has a pollution/ozone allergy and it was entirely manageable with Zyrtec and Singulair. There is pollution and 'down in the bowl' you will get a distinct smog haze over the city, particularly in winter when the thermal inversion holds it in. The pollution index is rated at 64 (as compared to Mexico City at 79 and 94 for Beijing, 10 for Stockholm and 14 for Tallinn) - Aug 2015
Not bad in the summer. Moderately polluted in winter (coal burning). - Jun 2015
Usually there is good air quality, with bright blue skies. In the winter some people burn coal for heat so the air can get a bit unsightly, but it doesn't last long. - Apr 2015
When we look out onto the city, especially in winter, you can see the brown cloud settled over the valleys. Two of our family are back on asthma medications (we thank Beijing for the start of this regimen need). Blue skies are more common than not, though. - Feb 2015
Air quality is good. In the winter months, it can get a bit polluted but it's nothing compared to many other cities around the world. Generally bright blue skies year-round. - Jun 2014
The air quality oscillates from almost breathable in the summer to horrible burnt smell air in the winter. - Apr 2014
Usually clear and beautiful in the fall, spring and summer. Sometimes in the winter it can be foggy and the air is smokey. I have asthma but the weather here has never bothered it. - Mar 2014
The air is very bad in the winter as people burn coal. It's OK in the summer but not great. I wouldn't recommend Ankara for people with asthma, etc. - Mar 2014
Air quality is moderate. It would be generally ranked as a code yellow on the EPA's color coded Air Quality Index scale, like most of Europe. - Jul 2013
It depends on your elevation. However, in general, it is fine is summer, average to poor in winter, due to coal burning which, despite being illegal within the city, is still common. - Aug 2011
Moderate to unhealthy. Air is especially poor during the winter. Turks still burn coal for heat, which pollutes the air. - Jul 2010
