City report · England, United Kingdom
Barking Air quality today
Air quality in Barking currently reads AQI 56 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 56
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 11.6
- tree cover
- 16.1%
- trees in this area
- 50.0K
- more trees needed
- 43.2K
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Barking, UK (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Aug 25, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Barking · AQI 56 (Moderate)
Barking's tree count comes to 50,023 trees across 4.8 sq mi (12.43 km²) of land, 14 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 43,188 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Barking today: AQI 56, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 15:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Bexley - Belvedere West, 3.5 mi (5.7 km) away · median of 9 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
11.6
PM10
14.8
NO₂
23.6
O₃
30.2
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · London Air Quality Network
- 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 Barking's daily AQI at 72 on average, from 35 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 102 on Nov 8.
This is the US EPA AQI. How it differs from the UK's Daily Air Quality Index
Where Barking stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Barking: Critically low
16.1% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.8 sq mi (12.43 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
50,023
Target trees
93,211
More trees needed
43,188
CO₂ if planted / yr
950.1 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Barking lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Barking has lost about 9 hectares of forest (about 13 football pitches): under 1% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (58%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2018: satellite photo from August 2018 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 9 haabout 13 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- under 1%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 5 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2008, when about 3 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 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2008 | 1 ha | 2 ha | 3 ha |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 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 | 1 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 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 Barking?
- Towns and roadscleared for good60% · 6 ha
- Unknown causescause unknown43% · 4 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
- 7,470 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 7,990 ha
- Overall change
- +525 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Barking grew from about 7,470 hectares to 7,990 hectares, a net gain of about 525 hectares (+7%). New forest grew on about 571 hectares, while 47 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 Barking
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- London14.9 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 18%
- Air quality
- 56
- Enfield Town17.5 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 31%
- Air quality
- 76
- Basildon26.2 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 31%
- Air quality
- 51
- Sutton28.3 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 45%
- Air quality
- 71
- Harrow29.2 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 29%
- Air quality
- 52
- Chelmsford34.9 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 24%
- Air quality
- 51
Build your own
Compare Barking with anywhere
This place
Barking
Use this data
Put Barking's numbers on your site
Free to embed. Updates itself as the measurement refreshes.
Frequently asked
Questions about Barking
What is the air quality (AQI) in Barking right now?
The latest reading for Barking shows an AQI of 56 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 15:00 local time by 9 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Bexley - Belvedere West, 3.5 mi (5.7 km) away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Barking today?
At AQI 56 (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 Barking been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Barking's daily AQI at 72 on average, from 35 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 102 on Nov 8. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Is Barking's AQI the same as the UK's Daily Air Quality Index?
No. Airleaf shows the US EPA Air Quality Index (AQI), the scale used by IQAir and most air-quality apps. The UK's Daily Air Quality Index (DAQI), published by Defra, runs from 1 to 10: 1–3 low, 4–6 moderate, 7–9 high and 10 very high. It is a different scale altogether, so a US AQI figure can't be read on it directly; both, though, are built from the same main pollutants, with fine particles (PM2.5) usually the one that decides the reading.
How much forest has the area around Barking lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Barking has lost about 9 hectares of forest (about 13 football pitches): under 1% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (58%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Barking grew from about 7,470 hectares to 7,990 hectares, a net gain of about 525 hectares (+7%). New forest grew on about 571 hectares, while 47 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Barking?
Barking has an estimated 50,023 trees across the 4.8 sq mi (12.43 km²) of land measured — 16.1% tree cover, 14 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Barking need?
Barking needs roughly 43,188 more trees to close a 14-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 950.1 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Barking's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Barking, 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 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Barking; 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