Country comparison · 158 cities measured
South Africa vs United Kingdom Air quality index (AQI) and deforestation
United Kingdom has cleaner air than South Africa right now: its cities average AQI 35 against 63.
At ground stations alone, which measure rather than estimate, the averages are South Africa 68 (34 cities) and United Kingdom 32 (81 cities). South Africa has lost more forest since 2001. United Kingdom has more tree cover in its cities.
Average of 66 cities
AQI 63
Moderate
Cleaner on average
- At ground stations
- AQI 68
- Tree cover
- 21.8%
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1.66 million ha
Average of 92 cities
AQI 35
Good
Cleaner on average
- At ground stations
- AQI 32
- Tree cover
- 26.6%
- Forest lost since 2001
- 607,000 ha
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
South Africa63United Kingdom35
Head to head
South Africa vs United Kingdom at a glance
United Kingdom is ahead on 6 of 6 measures, and South Africa on 0. The better figure in each row is marked.
| South Africa | United Kingdom | |
|---|---|---|
| Average air qualityUS AQI, all measured cities. | 63 | 35 (better) |
| At ground stationsCities with a current station reading. | 68 | 32 (better) |
| Cities over AQI 100Not fine for sensitive groups. | 6% | 0% (better) |
| Forest lost since 2001The whole country. | 1.66 million ha | 607,000 ha (better) |
| Share of its forest lostOf what it had in 2000. | 28% | 17% (better) |
| Average tree coverAcross its measured cities. | 21.8% | 26.6% (better) |
Air quality today
Is United Kingdom cleaner than South Africa?
On air quality, yes, right now. United Kingdom has cleaner air than South Africa right now: its cities average AQI 35 against 63.
At ground stations alone, which measure rather than estimate, the averages are South Africa 68 (34 cities) and United Kingdom 32 (81 cities).
6% of the measured cities in South Africa are over AQI 100 today, the point where the air stops being fine for sensitive groups, against 0% in the United Kingdom.
How each country's cities split across the air quality bands
South Africa
- Good23 (35%)
- Moderate39 (59%)
- Unhealthy for sensitive groups4 (6%)
United Kingdom
- Good66 (72%)
- Moderate26 (28%)
Every measured city, including model estimates where no ground station is near.
Against everywhere else
How do South Africa and United Kingdom compare with other countries?
Right now the cities of South Africa average cleaner air than 32% of the 171 countries Airleaf has enough cities to average, and those of the United Kingdom than 80%.
Cleaner air than…
- South Africa
- Beats 32%
- United Kingdom
- Beats 80%
More tree cover than…
- South Africa
- Beats 45%
- United Kingdom
- Beats 58%
Deforestation · 2001–2025
Which country has lost more forest, South Africa or United Kingdom?
South Africa has lost more: about 1.66 million ha of forest from 2001 to 2025, against 607,000 ha in the United Kingdom, or 2.7 times as much. 169,000 ha of South Africa's was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns; the rest burned, was logged or can grow back.
The whole country, from the yearly satellite maps of forest loss: unlike the city averages above, this counts every forest, not just the land around cities.
Worst year: 2006, with 105,000 ha lost.
Worst year: 2009, with 37,400 ha lost.
| South Africa | United Kingdom | |
|---|---|---|
| Forest lost since 2001Cleared, burned or logged. | 1.66 million ha | 607,000 ha (better) |
| Share of its forestOf what it had in 2000. | 28% | 17% (better) |
| Cleared for goodTurned into farms, mines or towns. | 169,000 ha | 15,700 ha (better) |
| Recent trend2021–2025 against the five years before. | Slowing down | Holding steady |
| Main known cause | Logging (77%) | Logging (93%) |
Trees
Which country has more tree cover, South Africa or United Kingdom?
United Kingdom does: its measured cities average 26.6% tree cover against 21.8%, a gap of 4.7 percentage points.
| South Africa | United Kingdom | |
|---|---|---|
| Trees standingSummed across measured cities. | 4.4M | 7.4M (better) |
| Cities below their targetShort of the canopy target. | 73% | 68% (better) |
| Trees still neededTo reach those targets. | 2.2M | 1.5M (better) |
Behind the averages
The cities behind South Africa and United Kingdom
An average says nothing about how far apart the best and worst places are. These are the measured cities at each end.
South Africa
- Greenest measured city
- Pinetown60.7% tree cover
- Worst air right now
- EmalahleniAQI 221
Reading these numbers
What a country average is, and is not
It is a mean of cities
Not a national statistic. Each figure is the average across the cities Airleaf has measured: 66 in South Africa and 92 in the United Kingdom, each read over the same 2 km radius, on the US EPA index. Rural land and unmeasured towns are not in it.
Coverage shapes the number
A country measured mostly in its capital reads differently from one measured across dozens of towns. United Kingdom rests on 92 cities against 66, so its average is the steadier of the two. Forest figures come from the University of Maryland's Global Forest Change maps.
Frequently asked
South Africa vs United Kingdom: your questions answered
Is United Kingdom cleaner than South Africa?
On air quality, yes, right now: United Kingdom's cities average AQI 35 against 63 on the US EPA index. These are live readings averaged across cities, so the gap moves with the weather. At ground stations alone, which measure rather than estimate, the averages are South Africa 68 (34 cities) and United Kingdom 32 (81 cities).
Which country has lost more forest, South Africa or United Kingdom?
South Africa has lost more: about 1.66 million ha of forest from 2001 to 2025, against 607,000 ha in the United Kingdom, or 2.7 times as much. 169,000 ha of South Africa's was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns; the rest burned, was logged or can grow back.
Which country has more tree cover, South Africa or United Kingdom?
United Kingdom does: its measured cities average 26.6% tree cover against 21.8%, a gap of 4.7 percentage points.
How many cities are the South Africa and United Kingdom figures based on?
66 measured cities in South Africa and 92 in the United Kingdom. Every one was read the same way, so the two averages are directly comparable, but a country with more measured cities has the more settled figure.
Why are there two air quality averages for each country?
The first covers every measured city, using a ground station where one is close and a model estimate everywhere else. The second counts only cities with a current station reading, which is measured rather than estimated but covers fewer places. Airleaf's world rankings use the station figures only.
Does this cover the whole of South Africa and the United Kingdom?
The air and tree figures are not: they are the cities Airleaf has measured, each over the same 2 km radius, so treat them as a comparison of urban air and urban tree cover. The forest figures are: they count every forest in the country.
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