City report · United Kingdom
Belfast Air quality today
Air quality in Belfast currently reads AQI 77 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 77
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 23.0
- tree cover
- 12.9%
- trees in this area
- 35.3K
- more trees needed
- 46.8K
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around City Centre, Belfast, UK (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Jul 15, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Belfast · AQI 77 (Moderate)
Belfast's tree count comes to 35,339 trees across 4.2 sq mi (10.96 km²) of land, 17 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 46,845 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Belfast today: AQI 77, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 14:00 local time via World Air Quality Index Project ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Belfast Centre, United Kingdom, 0.2 mi (400 m) away · median of 2 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
23.0
PM10
25.9
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: World Air Quality Index Project, Northern Ireland Air
- 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 Belfast's daily AQI at 37 on average, from 15 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 64 on Nov 9.
This is the US EPA AQI. How it differs from the UK's Daily Air Quality Index
Where Belfast stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Belfast: Critically low
12.9% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.2 sq mi (10.96 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
35,339
Target trees
82,184
More trees needed
46,845
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,031 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Belfast lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Belfast has lost about 92 hectares of forest (about 130 football pitches): 3% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was logging (41%), after which forest can grow back. About 39 hectares (42%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2018: satellite photo from July 2018 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 92 haabout 130 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 3%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 39 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2001, when about 51 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 | 29 ha | 22 ha | 51 ha |
| 2002 | 3 ha | 4 ha | 7 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2005 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2007 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 2 ha |
| 2012 | 1 ha | 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | 9 ha | 9 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2015 | 1 ha | 9 ha | 10 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 | under 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 | 2 ha | 2 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Belfast?
- Loggingcan grow back41% · 38 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good40% · 37 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good2.3% · 2 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
- 1,590 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 2,080 ha
- Overall change
- +492 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Belfast grew from about 1,590 hectares to 2,080 hectares, a net gain of about 492 hectares (+31%). New forest grew on about 598 hectares, while 106 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
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Frequently asked
Questions about Belfast
What is the air quality (AQI) in Belfast right now?
The latest reading for Belfast shows an AQI of 77 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 14:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Belfast Centre, United Kingdom, 0.2 mi (400 m) away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Belfast today?
At AQI 77 (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 Belfast been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Belfast's daily AQI at 37 on average, from 15 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 64 on Nov 9. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Is Belfast'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 Belfast lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Belfast has lost about 92 hectares of forest (about 130 football pitches): 3% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was logging (41%), after which forest can grow back. About 39 hectares (42%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Belfast grew from about 1,590 hectares to 2,080 hectares, a net gain of about 492 hectares (+31%). New forest grew on about 598 hectares, while 106 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Belfast?
Belfast has an estimated 35,339 trees across the 4.2 sq mi (10.96 km²) of land measured — 12.9% tree cover, 17 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Belfast need?
Belfast needs roughly 46,845 more trees to close a 17-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,031 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Belfast's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near City Centre, 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 City Centre; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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