Country comparison · 374 cities measured
South Africa vs United States Air quality index (AQI) and deforestation
United States has cleaner air than South Africa right now: its cities average AQI 38 against 63.
At ground stations alone, which measure rather than estimate, the averages are South Africa 68 (34 cities) and United States 40 (281 cities). United States has lost more forest since 2001. United States 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 308 cities
AQI 38
Good
Cleaner on average
- At ground stations
- AQI 40
- Tree cover
- 25.1%
- Forest lost since 2001
- 126 million acres (51 million ha)
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
South Africa63United States38
Head to head
South Africa vs United States at a glance
United States is ahead on 5 of 6 measures, and South Africa on 1. The better figure in each row is marked.
| South Africa | United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Average air qualityUS AQI, all measured cities. | 63 | 38 (better) |
| At ground stationsCities with a current station reading. | 68 | 40 (better) |
| Cities over AQI 100Not fine for sensitive groups. | 6% | 0% (better) |
| Forest lost since 2001The whole country. | 1.66 million ha (better) | 126 million acres (51 million ha) |
| Share of its forest lostOf what it had in 2000. | 28% | 18% (better) |
| Average tree coverAcross its measured cities. | 21.8% | 25.1% (better) |
Air quality today
Is United States cleaner than South Africa?
On air quality, yes, right now. United States has cleaner air than South Africa right now: its cities average AQI 38 against 63.
At ground stations alone, which measure rather than estimate, the averages are South Africa 68 (34 cities) and United States 40 (281 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 States.
How each country's cities split across the air quality bands
South Africa
- Good23 (35%)
- Moderate39 (59%)
- Unhealthy for sensitive groups4 (6%)
United States
- Good200 (65%)
- Moderate107 (35%)
- Unhealthy for sensitive groups1 (0%)
Every measured city, including model estimates where no ground station is near.
Against everywhere else
How do South Africa and United States 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 States than 73%.
Cleaner air than…
- South Africa
- Beats 32%
- United States
- Beats 73%
More tree cover than…
- South Africa
- Beats 45%
- United States
- Beats 52%
Deforestation · 2001–2025
Which country has lost more forest, South Africa or United States?
United States has lost more: about 126 million acres (51 million ha) of forest from 2001 to 2025, against 1.66 million ha in South Africa, or 31 times as much. 9.87 million acres (4 million ha) of United States'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: 2004, with 6.77 million acres (2.74 million ha) lost.
| South Africa | United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Forest lost since 2001Cleared, burned or logged. | 1.66 million ha (better) | 126 million acres (51 million ha) |
| Share of its forestOf what it had in 2000. | 28% | 18% (better) |
| Cleared for goodTurned into farms, mines or towns. | 169,000 ha (better) | 9.87 million acres (4 million ha) |
| Recent trend2021–2025 against the five years before. | Slowing down | Holding steady |
| Main known cause | Logging (77%) | Logging (62%) |
Trees
Which country has more tree cover, South Africa or United States?
United States does: its measured cities average 25.1% tree cover against 21.8%, a gap of 3.3 percentage points.
| South Africa | United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Trees standingSummed across measured cities. | 4.4M | 23.3M (better) |
| Cities below their targetShort of the canopy target. | 73% | 64% (better) |
| Trees still neededTo reach those targets. | 2.2M (better) | 8.2M |
Behind the averages
The cities behind South Africa and United States
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
United States
- Greenest measured city
- South Fulton71.7% tree cover
- Worst air right now
- StocktonAQI 105
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 308 in the United States, 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 States rests on 308 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 States: your questions answered
Is United States cleaner than South Africa?
On air quality, yes, right now: United States's cities average AQI 38 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 States 40 (281 cities).
Which country has lost more forest, South Africa or United States?
United States has lost more: about 126 million acres (51 million ha) of forest from 2001 to 2025, against 1.66 million ha in South Africa, or 31 times as much. 9.87 million acres (4 million ha) of United States'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 States?
United States does: its measured cities average 25.1% tree cover against 21.8%, a gap of 3.3 percentage points.
How many cities are the South Africa and United States figures based on?
66 measured cities in South Africa and 308 in the United States. 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 States?
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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