City report · Tanzania
Arusha Air quality today
Air quality in Arusha currently reads AQI 90 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 90
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 25.6
- tree cover
- 31.4%
- trees in this area
- 98.6K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 2 km radius around Arusha, Tanzania (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 19, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Arusha · AQI 90 (Moderate)
Arusha's tree count comes to 98,646 trees across 12.57 km², already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Arusha today: AQI 90, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 08:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 2 ground-station cities within 225 km, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Estimate · model corrected with 2 station cities within 225 km, e.g. Ongata Rongai and Ngong
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
25.6
PM10
7.1
NO₂
2.8
O₃
48.0
SO₂
0.9
CO
187.0
- Outdoor exercise
- Fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier
- Windows
- Fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution
- Mask
- Not needed for most people
- Air purifier
- Worth running if you are sensitive
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Arusha's daily AQI at 42 on average, from 32 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 62 on Nov 8.
Where Arusha stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Arusha: Healthy tree cover
31.4% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
98,646
Target trees
98,646
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Arusha lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Arusha has lost about 771 hectares of forest (about 1,100 football pitches): 19% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 18 hectares (2.4%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from February 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km northeast of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 771 haabout 1,100 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 19%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 18 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2001, when about 202 hectares of forest were lost.
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 12 ha | 190 ha | 202 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | 16 ha | 16 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | 6 ha | 6 ha |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | 6 ha | 6 ha |
| 2005 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | 47 ha | 47 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 2 ha |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | 29 ha | 29 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2011 | 1 ha | 7 ha | 8 ha |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | 18 ha | 19 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | 21 ha | 21 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | 28 ha | 28 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | 17 ha | 17 ha |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | 34 ha | 34 ha |
| 2017 | under 1 ha | 37 ha | 38 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | 52 ha | 52 ha |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | 33 ha | 33 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | 32 ha | 32 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | 10 ha | 10 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | 39 ha | 40 ha |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | 42 ha | 42 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | 53 ha | 54 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | 35 ha | 35 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Arusha?
- Loggingcan grow back96% · 740 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good1.8% · 14 ha
- Unknown causescause unknown1.2% · 9 ha
Also: towns and roads, shifting farming.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 12,600 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 12,700 ha
- Overall change
- +100 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Arusha stayed about the same size, at about 12,700 hectares: new forest grew on about 452 hectares, and about 352 hectares were lost.
These 2000 and 2020 maps, from the University of Maryland, count any land with trees taller than 5 m as forest, including plantations and orchards. Forest that was cut or burned and had grown back by 2020 counts in both years, so the loss here is smaller than the yearly figures.
These figures cover everything within 10 km of the city center, a wider area than the report above, because forest is usually lost at a city's edges.
Source: Hansen/UMD/Google/USGS/NASA, Global Forest Change (GFC-2025-v1.13); causes: WRI/Google DeepMind drivers of forest loss; both CC BY 4.0, summed by Airleaf for each area. Forest gained and lost 2000–2020: Potapov et al. 2022, UMD GLAD Global Land Cover and Land Use Change, CC BY 4.0. Images: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data. How it's measured
In the same region
Measured cities near Arusha
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Moshi72.2 km
Tanzania
- Tree cover
- 35%
- Air quality
- 64
- Kitengela212.5 km
Kenya
- Tree cover
- 6%
- Air quality
- 74
- Ongata Rongai219.4 km
Kenya
- Tree cover
- 29%
- Air quality
- 97
- Mlolongo220.9 km
Kenya
- Tree cover
- 4%
- Air quality
- 108
- Ngong224.0 km
Kenya
- Tree cover
- 34%
- Air quality
- 97
- Nairobi232.1 km
Kenya
- Tree cover
- 26%
- Air quality
- 96
Also compared:Arusha vs DodomaArusha vs Dar es SalaamArusha vs MwanzaArusha vs Zanzibar
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Frequently asked
Questions about Arusha
What is the air quality (AQI) in Arusha right now?
The latest reading for Arusha shows an AQI of 90 (Moderate), observed Nov 11, 08:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 2 ground-station cities within 225 km, US EPA index. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Arusha today?
At AQI 90 (Moderate): fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier. Windows: fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution. Masks: not needed for most people. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.
What has the air quality in Arusha been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Arusha's daily AQI at 42 on average, from 32 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 62 on Nov 8. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Arusha lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Arusha has lost about 771 hectares of forest (about 1,100 football pitches): 19% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 18 hectares (2.4%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Arusha stayed about the same size, at about 12,700 hectares: new forest grew on about 452 hectares, and about 352 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Arusha?
Arusha has an estimated 98,646 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 31.4% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Arusha need?
Arusha has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Arusha's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality comes from ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ where one reports nearby, and otherwise, as here, from the Open-Meteo / CAMS model, which may differ from street-level monitors. Tree cover is measured from Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search satellite imagery at 10 m detail across a 2 km radius around Arusha; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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