Air quality comparison · Nigeria, 131 km apart
Kano vs Zaria Air quality index (AQI) today
Kano has cleaner air than Zaria right now: AQI 65 (Moderate) against 172 (Unhealthy).
That puts them in different EPA bands, so the health advice differs today. Over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Kano averaged AQI 181 against 183, and it was the cleaner of the two on 3 of those days. Zaria has more tree cover.
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Kano65Zaria172
Head to head
Kano vs Zaria at a glance
Kano is ahead on 3 of 5 measures, and Zaria on 2. The better figure in each row is marked.
| Kano | Zaria | |
|---|---|---|
| Air quality nowUS AQI. Lower is better. | 65 (better) | 172 |
| PM2.5Fine particles, µg/m³. | 14.1 (better) | 89.2 |
| Past week's averageUS AQI, 7 days. | 181 (better) | 183 |
| Tree coverWithin 2 km of the center. | 1.7% | 13.8% (better) |
| Trees still neededTo reach a healthy canopy. | 88.8K | 82.3K (better) |
Air quality today
What is the air like in Kano and Zaria right now?
Kano has cleaner air than Zaria right now: AQI 65 (Moderate) against 172 (Unhealthy). PM2.5 is setting the index in both.
Zaria's PM2.5 is about 5.9× the WHO's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³.
Both readings are model estimates, with no ground station close enough to either.
KanoZaria
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).
Kano: Model estimate · no ground station nearby. Data: Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index.
Zaria: 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?
Over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Kano averaged AQI 181 against 183, and it was the cleaner of the two on 3 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
- Kano3Zaria4
- Average AQI
- Kano181Zaria183
- Worst day, AQI
- Kano208Zaria207
The daily numbers (7 days)
| Day | Kano | Zaria |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 4 | 189 | 180 |
| Nov 5 | 208 | 207 |
| Nov 6 | 181 | 199 |
| Nov 7 | 175 | 207 |
| Nov 8 | 195 | 151 |
| Nov 9 | 179 | 168 |
| Nov 10 | 140 | 171 |
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 Kano and Zaria today?
Kano (AQI 65, Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Zaria (AQI 172, Unhealthy): Everyone should limit long outdoor exertion; sensitive groups more so.
Exercise outdoors
- Kano
- Fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier.
- Zaria
- Everyone should cut down long or hard exercise; sensitive groups should avoid it.
Windows
- Kano
- Fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution.
- Zaria
- Keep them closed.
Masks
- Kano
- Not needed for most people.
- Zaria
- Wear an N95 outdoors.
Air purifier
- Kano
- Worth running if you are sensitive.
- Zaria
- Run one.
Against everywhere else
How do Kano and Zaria compare with the rest of the world?
Right now Kano's air is cleaner than 42% of the 5,420 places Airleaf tracks, and Zaria's is cleaner than 6%. Within Nigeria, that is 73% and 1% of its 99 measured places.
Cleaner air than…
- Kano
- Beats 42%
- Zaria
- Beats 6%
More tree cover than…
- Kano
- Beats 3%
- Zaria
- Beats 31%
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.
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.
Kano
2017: satellite photo from February 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
Zaria
2017: satellite photo from February 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
Trees
Which has more trees, Kano or Zaria?
Zaria has more tree cover: 13.8% of the land within 2 km of its center against 1.7% around Kano, or about 43,354 trees against 5,335.
The dark mark is each place's canopy target: 30% of the land, raised where air quality is poor.
| Kano | Zaria | |
|---|---|---|
| Trees standingEstimated from the canopy area. | 5.3K | 43.4K (better) |
| Trees still neededTo reach the target. Fewer is better. | 88.8K | 82.3K (better) |
| CO₂ absorbed each yearBy the trees already standing. | 117K kg | 954K 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
Kano vs Zaria: your questions answered
Is Kano cleaner than Zaria?
On air quality, yes, right now: Kano reads AQI 65 against 172, a gap of 107 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, Kano averaged AQI 181 against 183, and it was the cleaner of the two on 3 of those days.
Is it safe to exercise outdoors in Kano and Zaria today?
In Kano, at AQI 65: Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion. In Zaria, at AQI 172: Everyone should limit long outdoor exertion; sensitive groups more so.
Which has more trees, Kano or Zaria?
Zaria has more tree cover: 13.8% of the land within 2 km of its center against 1.7% around Kano, or about 43,354 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 Kano and Zaria need?
Kano needs about 88,818 more to reach its canopy target of 30%, and Zaria about 82,310 to reach 40%. The target starts at 30% of the land and rises where air quality is poor.
Are Kano and Zaria 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 Kano vs Zaria 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 (Oct 28, 2026 and Oct 30, 2026), and the forest figures are published yearly.
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