Air quality comparison · South Africa, 30 km apart
Gqeberha vs Kariega Air quality index (AQI) today
Kariega has cleaner air than Gqeberha right now: AQI 59 (Moderate) against 121 (Unhealthy for sensitive groups).
That puts them in different EPA bands, so the health advice differs today. Over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Kariega averaged AQI 35 against 52, and it was the cleaner of the two on 7 of those days. Gqeberha has lost more forest since 2001. Kariega has more tree cover.
South Africa
AQI 121
Unhealthy for sensitive groups
Cleaner right now
- PM2.5
- 32.5 µg/m³2.2× WHO guideline
- Main pollutant
- PM2.5
- Source
- Model estimate
- Reading
- Nov 11, 02:00 local
South Africa
AQI 59
Moderate
Cleaner right now
- PM2.5
- 11.4 µg/m³
- Main pollutant
- PM2.5
- Source
- Model estimate
- Reading
- Nov 11, 05:00 local
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Gqeberha121Kariega59
Head to head
Gqeberha vs Kariega at a glance
Kariega is ahead on 6 of 6 measures, and Gqeberha on 0. The better figure in each row is marked.
| Gqeberha | Kariega | |
|---|---|---|
| Air quality nowUS AQI. Lower is better. | 121 | 59 (better) |
| PM2.5Fine particles, µg/m³. | 32.5 | 11.4 (better) |
| Past week's averageUS AQI, 7 days. | 52 | 35 (better) |
| Forest lost since 2001Within 10 km of the center. | 2,350 ha | 445 ha (better) |
| Tree coverWithin 2 km of the center. | 21.2% | 29.9% (better) |
| Trees still neededTo reach a healthy canopy. | 35.5K | 314 (better) |
Air quality today
What is the air like in Gqeberha and Kariega right now?
Kariega has cleaner air than Gqeberha right now: AQI 59 (Moderate) against 121 (Unhealthy for sensitive groups). PM2.5 is setting the index in both.
Gqeberha's PM2.5 is about 2.2× the WHO's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³.
Both readings are model estimates, with no ground station close enough to either.
GqeberhaKariega
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).
Gqeberha: Estimate · model corrected with 2 station cities within 245 km, e.g. Mdantsane and KuGompo City. Data: Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 2 ground-station cities within 245 km, US EPA index.
Kariega: Estimate · model corrected with 2 station cities within 250 km, e.g. Mdantsane and KuGompo City. Data: Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 2 ground-station cities within 250 km, US EPA index.
The past week
Which had cleaner air over the past 7 days?
Over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Kariega averaged AQI 35 against 52, and it was the cleaner of the two on 7 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
- Gqeberha0Kariega7
- Average AQI
- Gqeberha52Kariega35
- Worst day, AQI
- Gqeberha80Kariega46
The daily numbers (7 days)
| Day | Gqeberha | Kariega |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 5 | 43 | 31 |
| Nov 6 | 38 | 30 |
| Nov 7 | 51 | 38 |
| Nov 8 | 49 | 37 |
| Nov 9 | 44 | 26 |
| Nov 10 | 59 | 38 |
| Nov 11 | 80 | 46 |
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 Gqeberha and Kariega today?
Gqeberha (AQI 121, Unhealthy for sensitive groups): Sensitive groups should limit long or intense outdoor activity.
Kariega (AQI 59, Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Exercise outdoors
- Gqeberha
- Children, older adults and people with asthma or heart disease should cut down long or hard exercise.
- Kariega
- Fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier.
Windows
- Gqeberha
- Close them to keep the outside air out.
- Kariega
- Fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution.
Masks
- Gqeberha
- Sensitive groups: an N95 outdoors.
- Kariega
- Not needed for most people.
Air purifier
- Gqeberha
- Run one, especially in bedrooms.
- Kariega
- Worth running if you are sensitive.
Against everywhere else
How do Gqeberha and Kariega compare with the rest of the world?
Right now Gqeberha's air is cleaner than 16% of the 5,420 places Airleaf tracks, and Kariega's is cleaner than 48%. Within South Africa, that is 3% and 58% of its 66 measured places.
Cleaner air than…
- Gqeberha
- Beats 16%
- Kariega
- Beats 48%
More tree cover than…
- Gqeberha
- Beats 49%
- Kariega
- Beats 68%
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, Gqeberha or Kariega?
Gqeberha has lost more: about 2,350 ha of forest within 10 km of its center from 2001 to 2025, against 445 ha around Kariega. 198 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 432 ha lost.
Worst year: 2022, with 55 ha lost.
| Gqeberha | Kariega | |
|---|---|---|
| Forest lost since 2001Cleared, burned or logged. | 2,350 ha | 445 ha (better) |
| Share of its forestOf what it had in 2000. | 55% | 4.1% (better) |
| Cleared for goodTurned into farms, mines or towns. | 198 ha (better) | 315 ha |
| Recent trend2021–2025 against the five years before. | Slowing down | Too little to call |
| Main known cause | Wildfires (83%) | Farms, pasture and plantations (49%) |
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.
Gqeberha
2017: satellite photo from March 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km south of the city center.
Kariega
2017: satellite photo from March 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km north of the city center.
Trees
Which has more trees, Gqeberha or Kariega?
Kariega has more tree cover: 29.9% of the land within 2 km of its center against 21.2% around Gqeberha, or about 93,934 trees against 54,547.
The dark mark is each place's canopy target: 30% of the land, raised where air quality is poor.
| Gqeberha | Kariega | |
|---|---|---|
| Trees standingEstimated from the canopy area. | 54.5K | 93.9K (better) |
| Trees still neededTo reach the target. Fewer is better. | 35.5K | 314 (better) |
| CO₂ absorbed each yearBy the trees already standing. | 1.2M kg | 2.1M 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
Gqeberha vs Kariega: your questions answered
Is Kariega cleaner than Gqeberha?
On air quality, yes, right now: Kariega reads AQI 59 against 121, a gap of 62 points on the US EPA index. This is a live reading rather than an annual average, so it can reverse within a day. Over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Kariega averaged AQI 35 against 52, and it was the cleaner of the two on 7 of those days.
Is it safe to exercise outdoors in Gqeberha and Kariega today?
In Gqeberha, at AQI 121: Sensitive groups should limit long or intense outdoor activity. In Kariega, at AQI 59: Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Which has lost more forest, Gqeberha or Kariega?
Gqeberha has lost more: about 2,350 ha of forest within 10 km of its center from 2001 to 2025, against 445 ha around Kariega. 198 ha of that was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
Which has more trees, Gqeberha or Kariega?
Kariega has more tree cover: 29.9% of the land within 2 km of its center against 21.2% around Gqeberha, or about 93,934 trees against 54,547. Both figures describe the same-sized circle of ground around each center, not the whole municipality.
How many more trees do Gqeberha and Kariega need?
Gqeberha needs about 35,507 more to reach its canopy target of 35%, and Kariega about 314 to reach 30%. The target starts at 30% of the land and rises where air quality is poor.
Why can two places 30 km apart read differently?
Air changes over short distances with traffic, industry, wind and hills, and each reading comes from the nearest ground stations or, where there are none, from a regional model. A gap of a few points between neighbors is within normal variation, while a gap that crosses an EPA band is worth noticing.
Are Gqeberha and Kariega 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. Both readings are model estimates, with no ground station close enough to either. Nothing is adjusted for population, city limits or climate.
How often does the Gqeberha vs Kariega 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 (Mar 11, 2026 and Mar 11, 2026), and the forest figures are published yearly.
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