City report · New Zealand
Auckland Air quality today
Air quality in Auckland currently reads AQI 52 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 52
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 9.6
- tree cover
- 22.5%
- trees in this area
- 51.3K
- more trees needed
- 17.1K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010, New Zealand (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Mar 3, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Auckland · AQI 52 (Moderate)
Auckland's tree count comes to 51,318 trees across 9.13 km² of land, 7 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 17,106 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Auckland today: AQI 52, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 12, 06:00 local time via World Air Quality Index Project ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Queen Street, Auckland, 200 m away · median of 2 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
9.6
PM10
32.4
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: World Air Quality Index Project, World Meteorological Organization - surface synoptic observations (WMO-SYNOP), Auckland Council - Kaunihera Taiao ki Waitaha, New Zealand - Auckland Council, LAWA - Land, Air, Water Aotearoa
- 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 Auckland's daily AQI at 20 on average, from 13 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 53 on Nov 8.
Where Auckland stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Auckland: Below target
22.5% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 9.13 km² of land.
Trees in this area
51,318
Target trees
68,424
More trees needed
17,106
CO₂ if planted / yr
376.3 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Auckland lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Auckland has lost about 44 hectares of forest (about 62 football pitches): 1.8% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (68%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2018: satellite photo from January 2018 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 44 haabout 62 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 1.8%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 30 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2005, when about 8 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 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2002 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2003 | 2 ha | 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2005 | 6 ha | 2 ha | 8 ha |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2009 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2010 | 1 ha | 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2013 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2014 | 3 ha | 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2016 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2017 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2021 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2023 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Auckland?
- Towns and roadscleared for good67% · 30 ha
- Unknown causescause unknown32% · 14 ha
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
- 1,480 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 1,510 ha
- Overall change
- +33 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Auckland grew from about 1,480 hectares to 1,510 hectares, a net gain of about 33 hectares (+2.2%). New forest grew on about 52 hectares, while 20 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 Auckland
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Tauranga155.2 km
New Zealand
- Tree cover
- 23%
- Air quality
- 23
- Lower Hutt485.9 km
New Zealand
- Tree cover
- 33%
- Air quality
- 23
Build your own
Compare Auckland with anywhere
This place
Auckland
Use this data
Put Auckland's numbers on your site
Free to embed. Updates itself as the measurement refreshes.
Frequently asked
Questions about Auckland
What is the air quality (AQI) in Auckland right now?
The latest reading for Auckland shows an AQI of 52 (Moderate), measured Nov 12, 06:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Queen Street, Auckland, 200 m away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Auckland today?
At AQI 52 (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 Auckland been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Auckland's daily AQI at 20 on average, from 13 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 53 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 Auckland lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Auckland has lost about 44 hectares of forest (about 62 football pitches): 1.8% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (68%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Auckland grew from about 1,480 hectares to 1,510 hectares, a net gain of about 33 hectares (+2.2%). New forest grew on about 52 hectares, while 20 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Auckland?
Auckland has an estimated 51,318 trees across the 9.13 km² of land measured — 22.5% tree cover, 7 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Auckland need?
Auckland needs roughly 17,106 more trees to close a 7-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 376.3 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Auckland's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Auckland CBD, via OpenAQ; the 7-day trend is the Open-Meteo / CAMS model's estimate. 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 Auckland CBD; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
See your own area
What does your neighborhood look like?
Pick any point and radius to get the same air-quality and tree-cover breakdown.
Check my address