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Air quality now: AQI51Moderate, Basildon

City report · England, United Kingdom

Basildon Air quality today

Air quality in Basildon currently reads AQI 51 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.

AQI 51

Air quality right now

Moderate

Main pollutant: PM2.5
PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
9.1
tree cover
30.9%
trees in this area
96.8K
more trees needed
0

Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Basildon, 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.

Basildon · AQI 51 (Moderate)

Dark green marks tree cover detected inside the study radius.Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search, captured Aug 25, 2026

Basildon's tree count comes to 96,784 trees across 4.8 sq mi (12.53 km²) of land, already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.

Air quality detail

Air quality in Basildon today: AQI 51, Moderate

Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 15:00 local time via World Air Quality Index Project ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.

Ground station · Stanford-le-Hope Roadside, United Kingdom, 3.5 mi (5.7 km) away

Health signal

Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.

PM2.5

9.1

PM10

10.8

NO₂

—

O₃

—

SO₂

—

CO

—

Data: World Air Quality Index Project, UK-AIR, air quality information resource - Defra, UK, London Air Quality Network - Environmental Research Group, King's College London, Air Quality in Kent and Medway

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 Basildon's daily AQI at 67 on average, from 32 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 93 on Nov 8.

Last 7 days · model estimateavg 67 · peak 93
Nov 4: AQI 32 (peak 46)Nov 5: AQI 50 (peak 61)Nov 6: AQI 79 (peak 86)Nov 7: AQI 85 (peak 87)Nov 8: AQI 85 (peak 93)Nov 9: AQI 73 (peak 82)Nov 10: AQI 68 (peak 70)
Nov 4Nov 10

This is the US EPA AQI. How it differs from the UK's Daily Air Quality Index

Where Basildon stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest

Tree cover detail

Tree cover in Basildon: Healthy tree cover

30.9% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.8 sq mi (12.53 km²) of land.

Target reached

Trees in this area

96,784

Target trees

96,784

More trees needed

0

CO₂ if planted / yr

0 kg

Deforestation · 2001–2025

How much forest has Basildon lost?

Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Basildon has lost about 11 hectares of forest (about 15 football pitches): under 1% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was logging (25%), after which forest can grow back. About 1 hectare (10%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.

Satellite image of the area around Basildon, July 2017

2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.

Forest lost since 2001
11 haabout 15 football pitches
Share of its forest
under 1%of what there was in 2000
Cleared for good
1 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns

The worst year was 2013, when about 2 hectares of forest were lost.

Forest lost each year around Basildon, 2001–2025

Hectares of forest lost each year

Forest lost each year around Basildon, 2001–2025. Use the left and right arrow keys to read each year.2

Show the figures as a table
Forest lost each year around Basildon, 2001–2025
YearCleared for goodCan grow backTotal
2001under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2002under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2003under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2004under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2005under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2006under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2007under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2008under 1 ha1 ha2 ha
2009under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2010under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2011under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2012under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2013under 1 ha2 ha2 ha
2014under 1 ha2 ha2 ha
2015under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2016under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2017under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2018under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2019under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2020under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2021under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2022under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2023under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2024under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2025under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha

What is causing deforestation around Basildon?

  • Loggingcan grow back25% · 3 ha
  • Towns and roadscleared for good10% · 1 ha
  • Unknown causescause unknown64% · 7 ha

Also: farms, pasture and plantations.

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
5,490 ha
Forest in 2020
5,760 ha
Overall change
+273 hamore forest than in 2000

Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Basildon grew from about 5,490 hectares to 5,760 hectares, a net gain of about 273 hectares (+5%). New forest grew on about 358 hectares, while 85 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 Basildon

Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.

  • Southend-on-Sea

    United Kingdom

    18.1 km
    Tree cover
    16%
    Air quality
    56
  • Chelmsford

    United Kingdom

    18.6 km
    Tree cover
    24%
    Air quality
    51
  • Gillingham

    United Kingdom

    20.9 km
    Tree cover
    23%
    Air quality
    56
  • Bexley

    United Kingdom

    25.6 km
    Tree cover
    40%
    Air quality
    56
  • Barking

    United Kingdom

    26.2 km
    Tree cover
    16%
    Air quality
    56
  • Walthamstow

    United Kingdom

    33.2 km
    Tree cover
    22%
    Air quality
    81

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Basildon air quality (AQI) and tree cover — measured by Airleaf
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Frequently asked

Questions about Basildon

What is the air quality (AQI) in Basildon right now?

The latest reading for Basildon shows an AQI of 51 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 15:00 local time by the Stanford-le-Hope Roadside, United Kingdom ground monitoring station, 3.5 mi (5.7 km) away, via OpenAQ. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.

Is it safe to exercise outside in Basildon today?

At AQI 51 (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 Basildon been like this week?

Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Basildon's daily AQI at 67 on average, from 32 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 93 on Nov 8. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.

Is Basildon'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 Basildon lost since 2001?

Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Basildon has lost about 11 hectares of forest (about 15 football pitches): under 1% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was logging (25%), after which forest can grow back. About 1 hectare (10%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Basildon grew from about 5,490 hectares to 5,760 hectares, a net gain of about 273 hectares (+5%). New forest grew on about 358 hectares, while 85 hectares were lost.

What is the tree count in Basildon?

Basildon has an estimated 96,784 trees across the 4.8 sq mi (12.53 km²) of land measured — 30.9% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.

How many more trees does Basildon need?

Basildon has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.

How are Basildon's air quality and tree cover measured?

Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Basildon, 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 Basildon; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.

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