City report · Central African Republic
Bangui Air quality today
Air quality in Bangui currently reads AQI 65 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 65
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 18.4
- tree cover
- 25.8%
- trees in this area
- 75.0K
- more trees needed
- 12.2K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Yapele I, Bangui, Central African Republic (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Jun 25, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Bangui · AQI 65 (Moderate)
Bangui's tree count comes to 74,974 trees across 11.63 km² of land, 4 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 12,205 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Bangui today: AQI 65, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 11:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Model estimate · no ground station nearby
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
18.4
PM10
32.0
NO₂
0.2
O₃
59.0
SO₂
0.5
CO
159.0
- 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 Bangui's daily AQI at 58 on average, from 42 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 79 on Nov 6.
Where Bangui stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Bangui: Below target
25.8% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 11.63 km² of land.
Trees in this area
74,974
Target trees
87,179
More trees needed
12,205
CO₂ if planted / yr
268.5 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Bangui lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Bangui has lost about 1,550 hectares of forest (about 2,200 football pitches): 11% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (87%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from January 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km west of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1,550 haabout 2,200 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 11%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 1,350 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss is slowing down: about 65 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 89 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2014, when about 171 hectares of forest were lost.
Bangui's full deforestation reportHectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 35 ha | 5 ha | 39 ha |
| 2002 | 21 ha | under 1 ha | 22 ha |
| 2003 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2004 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2005 | 8 ha | 3 ha | 11 ha |
| 2006 | 17 ha | 2 ha | 18 ha |
| 2007 | 50 ha | 9 ha | 59 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2009 | 42 ha | 9 ha | 51 ha |
| 2010 | 70 ha | 6 ha | 75 ha |
| 2011 | 52 ha | 3 ha | 55 ha |
| 2012 | 150 ha | 14 ha | 164 ha |
| 2013 | 65 ha | 12 ha | 77 ha |
| 2014 | 142 ha | 29 ha | 171 ha |
| 2015 | 23 ha | 2 ha | 25 ha |
| 2016 | 35 ha | 2 ha | 37 ha |
| 2017 | 84 ha | 7 ha | 91 ha |
| 2018 | 100 ha | 4 ha | 104 ha |
| 2019 | 130 ha | 10 ha | 140 ha |
| 2020 | 67 ha | 9 ha | 76 ha |
| 2021 | 47 ha | 4 ha | 51 ha |
| 2022 | 42 ha | 11 ha | 52 ha |
| 2023 | 33 ha | 19 ha | 52 ha |
| 2024 | 77 ha | 16 ha | 93 ha |
| 2025 | 56 ha | 22 ha | 78 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Bangui?
- Towns and roadscleared for good44% · 680 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good43% · 672 ha
- Shifting farmingcan grow back13% · 196 ha
Also: unknown causes.
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
- 5,070 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 4,640 ha
- Overall change
- −428 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Bangui shrank from about 5,070 hectares to 4,640 hectares, a net loss of about 428 hectares (−8.4%). New forest grew on about 443 hectares, but 871 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 Bangui
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
Build your own
Compare Bangui with anywhere
This place
Bangui
Use this data
Put Bangui's numbers on your site
Free to embed. Updates itself as the measurement refreshes.
Frequently asked
Questions about Bangui
What is the air quality (AQI) in Bangui right now?
The latest reading for Bangui shows an AQI of 65 (Moderate), observed Nov 11, 11:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, 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 Bangui today?
At AQI 65 (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 Bangui been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Bangui's daily AQI at 58 on average, from 42 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 79 on Nov 6. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Bangui lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Bangui has lost about 1,550 hectares of forest (about 2,200 football pitches): 11% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (87%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Forest loss is slowing down: about 65 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 89 hectares a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Bangui shrank from about 5,070 hectares to 4,640 hectares, a net loss of about 428 hectares (−8.4%). New forest grew on about 443 hectares, but 871 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Bangui?
Bangui has an estimated 74,974 trees across the 11.63 km² of land measured — 25.8% tree cover, 4 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Bangui need?
Bangui needs roughly 12,205 more trees to close a 4-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 268.5 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Bangui'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 Yapele I; 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