Air quality comparison · Nigeria, 721 km apart
Ibadan vs Kano Air quality index (AQI) today
Kano has cleaner air than Ibadan right now: AQI 65 (Moderate) against 102 (Unhealthy for sensitive groups).
That puts them in different EPA bands, so the health advice differs today. But over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Ibadan averaged AQI 80 against 181, and it was the cleaner of the two on 7 of those days. Ibadan has lost more forest since 2001. Ibadan has more tree cover.
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Ibadan102Kano65
Head to head
Ibadan vs Kano at a glance
Kano is ahead on 4 of 6 measures, and Ibadan on 2. The better figure in each row is marked.
| Ibadan | Kano | |
|---|---|---|
| Air quality nowUS AQI. Lower is better. | 102 | 65 (better) |
| PM2.5Fine particles, µg/m³. | 36.1 | 14.1 (better) |
| Past week's averageUS AQI, 7 days. | 80 (better) | 181 |
| Forest lost since 2001Within 10 km of the center. | 306 ha | under 1 ha (better) |
| Tree coverWithin 2 km of the center. | 2.2% (better) | 1.7% |
| Trees still neededTo reach a healthy canopy. | 103K | 88.8K (better) |
Air quality today
What is the air like in Ibadan and Kano right now?
Kano has cleaner air than Ibadan right now: AQI 65 (Moderate) against 102 (Unhealthy for sensitive groups). PM2.5 is setting the index in both.
Ibadan's PM2.5 is about 2.4× the WHO's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³.
Ibadan is read from a nearby ground station and Kano is a model estimate, so the two are not quite like for like.
IbadanKano
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).
Ibadan: Ground station · Mapo Primary Health Centre, Ibadan , 900 m away · median of 6 stations. Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, Air Quality for Collective Public Health Action Project.
Kano: 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, Ibadan averaged AQI 80 against 181, 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
- Ibadan7Kano0
- Average AQI
- Ibadan80Kano181
- Worst day, AQI
- Ibadan89Kano208
The daily numbers (7 days)
| Day | Ibadan | Kano |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 4 | 89 | 189 |
| Nov 5 | 78 | 208 |
| Nov 6 | 83 | 181 |
| Nov 7 | 80 | 175 |
| Nov 8 | 71 | 195 |
| Nov 9 | 84 | 179 |
| Nov 10 | 73 | 140 |
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 Ibadan and Kano today?
Ibadan (AQI 102, Unhealthy for sensitive groups): Sensitive groups should limit long or intense outdoor activity.
Kano (AQI 65, Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Exercise outdoors
- Ibadan
- Children, older adults and people with asthma or heart disease should cut down long or hard exercise.
- Kano
- Fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier.
Windows
- Ibadan
- Close them to keep the outside air out.
- Kano
- Fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution.
Masks
- Ibadan
- Sensitive groups: an N95 outdoors.
- Kano
- Not needed for most people.
Air purifier
- Ibadan
- Run one, especially in bedrooms.
- Kano
- Worth running if you are sensitive.
Against everywhere else
How do Ibadan and Kano compare with the rest of the world?
Right now Ibadan's air is cleaner than 21% of the 5,420 places Airleaf tracks, and Kano's is cleaner than 42%. Within Nigeria, that is 14% and 63% of its 99 measured places.
Cleaner air than…
- Ibadan
- Beats 21%
- Kano
- Beats 42%
More tree cover than…
- Ibadan
- Beats 5%
- Kano
- Beats 3%
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, Ibadan or Kano?
Ibadan has lost more: about 306 ha of forest within 10 km of its center from 2001 to 2025, against under 1 ha around Kano. 306 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: 2001, with 82 ha lost.
No forest lost in any year.
| Ibadan | Kano | |
|---|---|---|
| Forest lost since 2001Cleared, burned or logged. | 306 ha | under 1 ha (better) |
| Cleared for goodTurned into farms, mines or towns. | 306 ha | under 1 ha (better) |
| Recent trend2021–2025 against the five years before. | Too little to call | Too little to call |
| Main known cause | Towns and roads (over 99%) | Not classified |
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.
Ibadan
2017: satellite photo from February 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
Kano
2017: satellite photo from February 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
Trees
Which has more trees, Ibadan or Kano?
Ibadan has more tree cover: 2.2% of the land within 2 km of its center against 1.7% around Kano, or about 6,912 trees against 5,335.
The dark mark is each place's canopy target: 30% of the land, raised where air quality is poor.
| Ibadan | Kano | |
|---|---|---|
| Trees standingEstimated from the canopy area. | 6.9K (better) | 5.3K |
| Trees still neededTo reach the target. Fewer is better. | 103K | 88.8K (better) |
| CO₂ absorbed each yearBy the trees already standing. | 152K kg (better) | 117K kg |
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
Ibadan vs Kano: your questions answered
Is Kano cleaner than Ibadan?
On air quality, yes, right now: Kano reads AQI 65 against 102, a gap of 37 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, Ibadan averaged AQI 80 against 181, and it was the cleaner of the two on 7 of those days.
Is it safe to exercise outdoors in Ibadan and Kano today?
In Ibadan, at AQI 102: Sensitive groups should limit long or intense outdoor activity. In Kano, at AQI 65: Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Which has lost more forest, Ibadan or Kano?
Ibadan has lost more: about 306 ha of forest within 10 km of its center from 2001 to 2025, against under 1 ha around Kano. 306 ha of that was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
Which has more trees, Ibadan or Kano?
Ibadan has more tree cover: 2.2% of the land within 2 km of its center against 1.7% around Kano, or about 6,912 trees against 5,335. Both figures describe the same-sized circle of ground around each center, not the whole municipality.
How many more trees do Ibadan and Kano need?
Ibadan needs about 103,044 more to reach its canopy target of 35%, and Kano about 88,818 to reach 30%. The target starts at 30% of the land and rises where air quality is poor.
Are Ibadan and Kano 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. Ibadan is read from a nearby ground station and Kano 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 Ibadan vs Kano 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 (Jan 24, 2026 and Oct 28, 2026), and the forest figures are published yearly.
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