Air quality comparison · Republic of the Congo, 383 km apart
Brazzaville vs Pointe-Noire Air quality index (AQI) today
Pointe-Noire has cleaner air than Brazzaville right now: AQI 65 (Moderate) against 157 (Unhealthy).
That puts them in different EPA bands, so the health advice differs today. But over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Brazzaville averaged AQI 58 against 61, and it was the cleaner of the two on 4 of those days. Pointe-Noire has lost more forest since 2001. Pointe-Noire has more tree cover.
Republic of the Congo
AQI 157
Unhealthy
Cleaner right now
- PM2.5
- 64.7 µg/m³4.3× WHO guideline
- Main pollutant
- PM2.5
- Source
- Ground station
- Reading
- Nov 11, 20:00 local
Republic of the Congo
AQI 65
Moderate
Cleaner right now
- PM2.5
- 18.9 µg/m³1.3× WHO guideline
- Main pollutant
- PM2.5
- Source
- Model estimate
- Reading
- Nov 10, 20:00 local
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Brazzaville157Pointe-Noire65
Head to head
Brazzaville vs Pointe-Noire at a glance
Pointe-Noire is ahead on 4 of 6 measures, and Brazzaville on 2. The better figure in each row is marked.
| Brazzaville | Pointe-Noire | |
|---|---|---|
| Air quality nowUS AQI. Lower is better. | 157 | 65 (better) |
| PM2.5Fine particles, µg/m³. | 64.7 | 18.9 (better) |
| Past week's averageUS AQI, 7 days. | 58 (better) | 61 |
| Forest lost since 2001Within 10 km of the center. | 323 ha (better) | 1,660 ha |
| Tree coverWithin 2 km of the center. | 1.4% | 6.2% (better) |
| Trees still neededTo reach a healthy canopy. | 105K | 66.6K (better) |
Air quality today
What is the air like in Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire right now?
Pointe-Noire has cleaner air than Brazzaville right now: AQI 65 (Moderate) against 157 (Unhealthy). PM2.5 is setting the index in both.
Brazzaville's PM2.5 is about 4.3× the WHO's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³. Pointe-Noire's PM2.5 is about 1.3× the WHO's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³.
Brazzaville is read from a nearby ground station and Pointe-Noire is a model estimate, so the two are not quite like for like.
BrazzavillePointe-Noire
Concentrations at the same moment as the index above, for the pollutants both places report. Lower is better. The dark marks on the PM2.5 and PM10 rows show the WHO's 24-hour guidelines (15 and 45 µg/m³).
Brazzaville: Ground station · WASARU / KINAQ Huilleries, 5.5 km away · median of 2 stations. Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, KINAQ Huilleries.
Pointe-Noire: Model estimate · no ground station nearby. Data: Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index.
The past week
Which had cleaner air over the past 7 days?
But over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Brazzaville averaged AQI 58 against 61, and it was the cleaner of the two on 4 of those days. A single reading can catch a city on a bad afternoon; the week says whether it was the weather or the place.
- Cleaner days
- Brazzaville4Pointe-Noire3
- Average AQI
- Brazzaville58Pointe-Noire61
- Worst day, AQI
- Brazzaville70Pointe-Noire74
The daily numbers (7 days)
| Day | Brazzaville | Pointe-Noire |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 4 | 56 | 58 |
| Nov 5 | 58 | 61 |
| Nov 6 | 48 | 71 |
| Nov 7 | 47 | 74 |
| Nov 8 | 60 | 46 |
| Nov 9 | 64 | 56 |
| Nov 10 | 70 | 60 |
Daily averages from the CAMS atmospheric model for both places, so the week compares like with like. They can differ from today's reading at the top of the page wherever that comes from a ground station.
What it means today
Is it safe to go outside in Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire today?
Brazzaville (AQI 157, Unhealthy): Everyone should limit long outdoor exertion; sensitive groups more so.
Pointe-Noire (AQI 65, Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Exercise outdoors
- Brazzaville
- Everyone should cut down long or hard exercise; sensitive groups should avoid it.
- Pointe-Noire
- Fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier.
Windows
- Brazzaville
- Keep them closed.
- Pointe-Noire
- Fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution.
Masks
- Brazzaville
- Wear an N95 outdoors.
- Pointe-Noire
- Not needed for most people.
Air purifier
- Brazzaville
- Run one.
- Pointe-Noire
- Worth running if you are sensitive.
Against everywhere else
How do Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire compare with the rest of the world?
Right now Brazzaville's air is cleaner than 9% of the 5,420 places Airleaf tracks, and Pointe-Noire's is cleaner than 43%. Within Republic of the Congo, that is 0% and 25% of its 5 measured places.
Cleaner air than…
- Brazzaville
- Beats 9%
- Pointe-Noire
- Beats 43%
More tree cover than…
- Brazzaville
- Beats 3%
- Pointe-Noire
- Beats 12%
Includes model estimates as well as station readings, so it can differ from our most polluted and cleanest air rankings, which use station readings only.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
Which has lost more forest, Brazzaville or Pointe-Noire?
Pointe-Noire has lost more: about 1,660 ha of forest within 10 km of its center from 2001 to 2025, against 323 ha around Brazzaville. 1,650 ha of that was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
Measured within 10 km of each center, from the yearly satellite maps of forest loss: a wider circle than the one for tree cover, because forest is usually lost at a city's edges.
Worst year: 2017, with 49 ha lost.
Worst year: 2011, with 253 ha lost.
| Brazzaville | Pointe-Noire | |
|---|---|---|
| Forest lost since 2001Cleared, burned or logged. | 323 ha (better) | 1,660 ha |
| Share of its forestOf what it had in 2000. | 17% (better) | 40% |
| Cleared for goodTurned into farms, mines or towns. | 218 ha (better) | 1,650 ha |
| Recent trend2021–2025 against the five years before. | Too little to call | Too little to call |
| Main known cause | Towns and roads (63%) | Towns and roads (88%) |
Satellite timelapses
Watch both change, year by year
A clear satellite photo a year of the land around each city. Press play, turn on the forest cleared since the first year, or drag the before and after.
Brazzaville
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km northwest of the city center.
Pointe-Noire
2017: satellite photo from April 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km north of the city center.
Trees
Which has more trees, Brazzaville or Pointe-Noire?
Pointe-Noire has more tree cover: 6.2% of the land within 2 km of its center against 1.4% around Brazzaville, or about 17,355 trees against 3,796.
The dark mark is each place's canopy target: 30% of the land, raised where air quality is poor.
| Brazzaville | Pointe-Noire | |
|---|---|---|
| Trees standingEstimated from the canopy area. | 3.8K | 17.4K (better) |
| Trees still neededTo reach the target. Fewer is better. | 105K | 66.6K (better) |
| CO₂ absorbed each yearBy the trees already standing. | 83.5K kg | 382K kg (better) |
Tree cover on the satellite image
The same 2 km radius around each center, with the tree cover the satellite found marked on it.
Reading these numbers
How this comparison is made
Air quality index
The US EPA index, computed from current pollutant concentrations: ground stations where a place has them nearby, and the CAMS atmospheric model everywhere else. It moves hour to hour, so it is a snapshot rather than a verdict on either place. The guideline marks are from the WHO's 2021 air quality guidelines.
Trees and forest
Tree cover is the share of ground under canopy within 2 km of each center, read from Sentinel-2 satellite imagery at 10 m detail. It measures that circle, not the whole municipality, which is what makes the two comparable. Forest loss comes from the University of Maryland's Global Forest Change maps.
More on the method on the About Airleaf page.
Frequently asked
Brazzaville vs Pointe-Noire: your questions answered
Is Pointe-Noire cleaner than Brazzaville?
On air quality, yes, right now: Pointe-Noire reads AQI 65 against 157, a gap of 92 points on the US EPA index. This is a live reading rather than an annual average, so it can reverse within a day. But over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Brazzaville averaged AQI 58 against 61, and it was the cleaner of the two on 4 of those days.
Is it safe to exercise outdoors in Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire today?
In Brazzaville, at AQI 157: Everyone should limit long outdoor exertion; sensitive groups more so. In Pointe-Noire, at AQI 65: Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Which has lost more forest, Brazzaville or Pointe-Noire?
Pointe-Noire has lost more: about 1,660 ha of forest within 10 km of its center from 2001 to 2025, against 323 ha around Brazzaville. 1,650 ha of that was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
Which has more trees, Brazzaville or Pointe-Noire?
Pointe-Noire has more tree cover: 6.2% of the land within 2 km of its center against 1.4% around Brazzaville, or about 17,355 trees against 3,796. Both figures describe the same-sized circle of ground around each center, not the whole municipality.
How many more trees do Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire need?
Brazzaville needs about 104,652 more to reach its canopy target of 40%, and Pointe-Noire about 66,620 to reach 30%. The target starts at 30% of the land and rises where air quality is poor.
Are Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire measured the same way?
The method is the same: the US EPA index for air, and Sentinel-2 satellite imagery at 10 m detail over an identical radius for trees. Brazzaville is read from a nearby ground station and Pointe-Noire is a model estimate, so the two are not quite like for like. Nothing is adjusted for population, city limits or climate.
How often does the Brazzaville vs Pointe-Noire comparison update?
The air readings refresh about once an hour, and each reading's local time is shown at the top of the page. Tree cover comes from the latest clear satellite image of each area (Sep 15, 2026 and Sep 14, 2026), and the forest figures are published yearly.
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