Air quality comparison · Malawi, 279 km apart
Lilongwe vs Mzuzu Air quality index (AQI) today
Lilongwe has cleaner air than Mzuzu right now: AQI 93 (Moderate) against 152 (Unhealthy).
That puts them in different EPA bands, so the health advice differs today. Over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Lilongwe averaged AQI 61 against 74, and it was the cleaner of the two on 7 of those days. Mzuzu has lost more forest since 2001. Lilongwe has more tree cover.
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Lilongwe93Mzuzu152
Head to head
Lilongwe vs Mzuzu at a glance
Lilongwe is ahead on 6 of 6 measures, and Mzuzu on 0. The better figure in each row is marked.
| Lilongwe | Mzuzu | |
|---|---|---|
| Air quality nowUS AQI. Lower is better. | 93 (better) | 152 |
| PM2.5Fine particles, µg/m³. | 31.4 (better) | 56.5 |
| Past week's averageUS AQI, 7 days. | 61 (better) | 74 |
| Forest lost since 2001Within 10 km of the center. | 77 ha (better) | 2,250 ha |
| Tree coverWithin 2 km of the center. | 35.4% (better) | 19.0% |
| Trees still neededTo reach a healthy canopy. | 0 (better) | 66.0K |
Air quality today
What is the air like in Lilongwe and Mzuzu right now?
Lilongwe has cleaner air than Mzuzu right now: AQI 93 (Moderate) against 152 (Unhealthy). PM2.5 is setting the index in both.
Lilongwe's PM2.5 is about 2.1× the WHO's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³. Mzuzu's PM2.5 is about 3.8× the WHO's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³.
Both readings come from nearby ground stations.
LilongweMzuzu
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).
The past week
Which had cleaner air over the past 7 days?
Over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Lilongwe averaged AQI 61 against 74, 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
- Lilongwe7Mzuzu0
- Average AQI
- Lilongwe61Mzuzu74
- Worst day, AQI
- Lilongwe71Mzuzu92
The daily numbers (7 days)
| Day | Lilongwe | Mzuzu |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 4 | 69 | 92 |
| Nov 5 | 71 | 79 |
| Nov 6 | 68 | 80 |
| Nov 7 | 61 | 76 |
| Nov 8 | 63 | 75 |
| Nov 9 | 57 | 65 |
| Nov 10 | 37 | 51 |
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 Lilongwe and Mzuzu today?
Lilongwe (AQI 93, Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Mzuzu (AQI 152, Unhealthy): Everyone should limit long outdoor exertion; sensitive groups more so.
Exercise outdoors
- Lilongwe
- Fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier.
- Mzuzu
- Everyone should cut down long or hard exercise; sensitive groups should avoid it.
Windows
- Lilongwe
- Fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution.
- Mzuzu
- Keep them closed.
Masks
- Lilongwe
- Not needed for most people.
- Mzuzu
- Wear an N95 outdoors.
Air purifier
- Lilongwe
- Worth running if you are sensitive.
- Mzuzu
- Run one.
Against everywhere else
How do Lilongwe and Mzuzu compare with the rest of the world?
Right now Lilongwe's air is cleaner than 24% of the 5,420 places Airleaf tracks, and Mzuzu's is cleaner than 10%. Within Malawi, that is 50% and 0% of its 5 measured places.
Cleaner air than…
- Lilongwe
- Beats 24%
- Mzuzu
- Beats 10%
More tree cover than…
- Lilongwe
- Beats 77%
- Mzuzu
- Beats 44%
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, Lilongwe or Mzuzu?
Mzuzu has lost more: about 2,250 ha of forest within 10 km of its center from 2001 to 2025, against 77 ha around Lilongwe. 1,950 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: 2010, with 11 ha lost.
Worst year: 2022, with 338 ha lost.
| Lilongwe | Mzuzu | |
|---|---|---|
| Forest lost since 2001Cleared, burned or logged. | 77 ha (better) | 2,250 ha |
| Share of its forestOf what it had in 2000. | 9.3% (better) | 18% |
| Cleared for goodTurned into farms, mines or towns. | 76 ha (better) | 1,950 ha |
| Recent trend2021–2025 against the five years before. | Too little to call | Speeding up |
| Main known cause | Towns and roads (72%) | Farms, pasture and plantations (83%) |
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.
Lilongwe
2017: satellite photo from September 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
Mzuzu
2017: satellite photo from October 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 6 km northeast of the city center.
Trees
Which has more trees, Lilongwe or Mzuzu?
Lilongwe has more tree cover: 35.4% of the land within 2 km of its center against 19.0% around Mzuzu, or about 111,212 trees against 59,690.
The dark mark is each place's canopy target: 30% of the land, raised where air quality is poor.
| Lilongwe | Mzuzu | |
|---|---|---|
| Trees standingEstimated from the canopy area. | 111K (better) | 59.7K |
| Trees still neededTo reach the target. Fewer is better. | 0 (better) | 66.0K |
| CO₂ absorbed each yearBy the trees already standing. | 2.4M kg (better) | 1.3M 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
Lilongwe vs Mzuzu: your questions answered
Is Lilongwe cleaner than Mzuzu?
On air quality, yes, right now: Lilongwe reads AQI 93 against 152, a gap of 59 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, Lilongwe averaged AQI 61 against 74, and it was the cleaner of the two on 7 of those days.
Is it safe to exercise outdoors in Lilongwe and Mzuzu today?
In Lilongwe, at AQI 93: Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion. In Mzuzu, at AQI 152: Everyone should limit long outdoor exertion; sensitive groups more so.
Which has lost more forest, Lilongwe or Mzuzu?
Mzuzu has lost more: about 2,250 ha of forest within 10 km of its center from 2001 to 2025, against 77 ha around Lilongwe. 1,950 ha of that was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
Which has more trees, Lilongwe or Mzuzu?
Lilongwe has more tree cover: 35.4% of the land within 2 km of its center against 19.0% around Mzuzu, or about 111,212 trees against 59,690. Both figures describe the same-sized circle of ground around each center, not the whole municipality.
How many more trees do Lilongwe and Mzuzu need?
Lilongwe needs about 0 more to reach its canopy target of 30%, and Mzuzu about 65,973 to reach 40%. The target starts at 30% of the land and rises where air quality is poor.
Are Lilongwe and Mzuzu 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 come from nearby ground stations. Nothing is adjusted for population, city limits or climate.
How often does the Lilongwe vs Mzuzu 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 (Nov 8, 2026 and Sep 4, 2026), and the forest figures are published yearly.
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