This research assessed the air pollution in Sulaymaniyah city, Iraq, using the air quality index (AQI) from 2019–2023. The data used in this research derived from the TROPOMI Sentinel-5P, including nitrogen oxide (NO2), Sulphur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and ozone (O3). This research aimed to calculate the intensity of air pollution and illustrate the spatiotemporal variability of the AQI in Sulaymaniyah. The calculated AQI results illustrated that the highest aggregate AQI was 224.1 in 2020, the lowest was 199.1 in 2019, and the annual average was 213.8 (very unhealthy) from 2019 to 2023. The highest seasonal aggregate AQI was 249.8 (very unhealthy) in the winter, and the lowest was 177.7 (unhealthy) in the summer. During COVID-19, the aggregate AQI was 11.1% lower than the average aggregate AQI across the whole research period. Pollutants came from the combustion of fuels for transportation, electricity generation, home and building heating, cement production, oil industry and new construction. Daily inhalations by children aged 1 to 2 years were the highest. Older individuals and pregnant and breastfeeding women had ingested more toxins compared to younger groups. More research will continue to drive predictive analytics, and the findings can have a significant effect on how to act on air quality management.