City report · Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia
Baubau Air quality today
Air quality in Baubau currently reads AQI 52 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 52
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 9.2
- tree cover
- 26.1%
- trees in this area
- 58.0K
- more trees needed
- 8.7K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Bau-bau, Murhum, Bau-Bau City, South East Sulawesi, Indonesia (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 17, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Baubau · AQI 52 (Moderate)
Baubau's tree count comes to 57,971 trees across 8.89 km² of land, 4 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 8,662 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Baubau today: AQI 52, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 12:00 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
9.2
PM10
12.7
NO₂
0.8
O₃
60.0
SO₂
0.7
CO
384.0
- 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 Baubau's daily AQI at 61 on average, from 55 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 73 on Nov 6.
This is the US EPA AQI. How it differs from Indonesia's ISPU
Where Baubau stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Baubau: Below target
26.1% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 8.89 km² of land.
Trees in this area
57,971
Target trees
66,633
More trees needed
8,662
CO₂ if planted / yr
190.6 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Baubau lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Baubau has lost about 2,820 hectares of forest (about 4,000 football pitches): 20% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (98%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
2017: satellite photo from October 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km east of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 2,820 haabout 4,000 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 20%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 2,760 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 112 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 115 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2009, when about 279 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 | 108 ha | 1 ha | 109 ha |
| 2002 | 60 ha | 8 ha | 68 ha |
| 2003 | 41 ha | 16 ha | 57 ha |
| 2004 | 108 ha | 4 ha | 112 ha |
| 2005 | 34 ha | under 1 ha | 34 ha |
| 2006 | 228 ha | 3 ha | 231 ha |
| 2007 | 48 ha | under 1 ha | 48 ha |
| 2008 | 77 ha | under 1 ha | 77 ha |
| 2009 | 275 ha | 4 ha | 279 ha |
| 2010 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2011 | 138 ha | 1 ha | 139 ha |
| 2012 | 191 ha | 3 ha | 194 ha |
| 2013 | 61 ha | under 1 ha | 62 ha |
| 2014 | 141 ha | 5 ha | 146 ha |
| 2015 | 126 ha | 1 ha | 127 ha |
| 2016 | 141 ha | 1 ha | 142 ha |
| 2017 | 132 ha | 1 ha | 133 ha |
| 2018 | 113 ha | under 1 ha | 113 ha |
| 2019 | 120 ha | 2 ha | 122 ha |
| 2020 | 57 ha | 9 ha | 65 ha |
| 2021 | 41 ha | under 1 ha | 42 ha |
| 2022 | 104 ha | under 1 ha | 104 ha |
| 2023 | 140 ha | 2 ha | 142 ha |
| 2024 | 164 ha | under 1 ha | 164 ha |
| 2025 | 107 ha | 1 ha | 108 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Baubau?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good83% · 2,340 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good15% · 423 ha
- Shifting farmingcan grow back2% · 57 ha
Also: logging, 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
- 15,600 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 15,300 ha
- Overall change
- −262 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Baubau stayed about the same size, at about 15,300 hectares: new forest grew on about 292 hectares, and about 553 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 Baubau
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Kendari165.5 km
Indonesia
- Tree cover
- 19%
- Air quality
- 58
- Watampone272.1 km
Indonesia
- Tree cover
- 22%
- Air quality
- 97
- Makassar352.8 km
Indonesia
- Tree cover
- 8%
- Air quality
- 105
- Parepare367.2 km
Indonesia
- Tree cover
- 25%
- Air quality
- 51
- Palopo382.9 km
Indonesia
- Tree cover
- 19%
- Air quality
- 62
- Labuan Bajo451.1 km
Indonesia
- Tree cover
- 43%
- Air quality
- 51
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Frequently asked
Questions about Baubau
What is the air quality (AQI) in Baubau right now?
The latest reading for Baubau shows an AQI of 52 (Moderate), observed Nov 11, 12:00 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 Baubau 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 Baubau been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Baubau's daily AQI at 61 on average, from 55 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 73 on Nov 6. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Is Baubau's AQI the same as Indonesia's ISPU?
No. Airleaf shows the US EPA Air Quality Index (AQI), the scale used by IQAir and most air-quality apps. Indonesia's official index is the ISPU (Indeks Standar Pencemar Udara), published by the environment ministry from its own monitoring stations. Its bands are 0–50 Baik (good), 51–100 Sedang (moderate), 101–200 Tidak Sehat (unhealthy), 201–300 Sangat Tidak Sehat (very unhealthy) and over 300 Berbahaya (hazardous). The two indexes use different breakpoints and averaging times, so the same air can score differently on each.
How much forest has the area around Baubau lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Baubau has lost about 2,820 hectares of forest (about 4,000 football pitches): 20% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (98%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations. Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 112 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 115 hectares a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Baubau stayed about the same size, at about 15,300 hectares: new forest grew on about 292 hectares, and about 553 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Baubau?
Baubau has an estimated 57,971 trees across the 8.89 km² of land measured — 26.1% tree cover, 4 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Baubau need?
Baubau needs roughly 8,662 more trees to close a 4-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 190.6 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Baubau'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 Bau-bau; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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