City report · North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Beni Air quality today
Air quality in Beni currently reads AQI 41 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
AQI 41
Air quality right now
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 7.5
- tree cover
- 19.8%
- trees in this area
- 62.2K
- more trees needed
- 32.0K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Beni, Democratic Republic of the Congo (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Aug 29, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Beni · AQI 41 (Good)
Beni's tree count comes to 62,204 trees across 12.57 km², 10 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 32,044 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Beni today: AQI 41, Good
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 10, 17:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Model estimate · no ground station nearby
Health signal
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
PM2.5
7.5
PM10
7.8
NO₂
1.6
O₃
41.0
SO₂
0.2
CO
163.0
- Outdoor exercise
- A good day to be active outside
- Windows
- Open them to air the house
- Mask
- Not needed
- Air purifier
- Not needed
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Beni's daily AQI at 57 on average, from 50 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 92 on Nov 7.
Where Beni stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Beni: Below target
19.8% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
62,204
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
32,044
CO₂ if planted / yr
705.0 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Beni lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Beni has lost about 9,820 hectares of forest (about 14,000 football pitches): 36% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (54%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
2017: satellite photo from May 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 6 km northwest of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 9,820 haabout 14,000 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 36%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 5,320 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss is speeding up: about 764 hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 242 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2022, when about 1,230 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 | 217 ha | 424 ha | 641 ha |
| 2002 | 54 ha | 103 ha | 156 ha |
| 2003 | 91 ha | 43 ha | 134 ha |
| 2004 | 238 ha | 86 ha | 324 ha |
| 2005 | 309 ha | 129 ha | 438 ha |
| 2006 | 52 ha | 21 ha | 73 ha |
| 2007 | 194 ha | 126 ha | 320 ha |
| 2008 | 116 ha | 15 ha | 131 ha |
| 2009 | 145 ha | 88 ha | 233 ha |
| 2010 | 83 ha | 136 ha | 219 ha |
| 2011 | 239 ha | 98 ha | 337 ha |
| 2012 | 132 ha | 430 ha | 562 ha |
| 2013 | 308 ha | 198 ha | 506 ha |
| 2014 | 363 ha | 234 ha | 597 ha |
| 2015 | 76 ha | 42 ha | 118 ha |
| 2016 | 156 ha | 86 ha | 242 ha |
| 2017 | 210 ha | 110 ha | 320 ha |
| 2018 | 220 ha | 133 ha | 353 ha |
| 2019 | 46 ha | 24 ha | 70 ha |
| 2020 | 144 ha | 80 ha | 224 ha |
| 2021 | 458 ha | 254 ha | 712 ha |
| 2022 | 626 ha | 601 ha | 1,230 ha |
| 2023 | 328 ha | 513 ha | 841 ha |
| 2024 | 278 ha | 380 ha | 658 ha |
| 2025 | 233 ha | 147 ha | 380 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Beni?
- Shifting farmingcan grow back46% · 4,500 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good33% · 3,210 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good21% · 2,110 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
- 16,200 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 16,600 ha
- Overall change
- +382 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Beni grew from about 16,200 hectares to 16,600 hectares, a net gain of about 382 hectares (+2.4%). New forest grew on about 2,090 hectares, while 1,700 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 Beni
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Butembo43.8 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 19%
- Air quality
- 51
- Kasese76.0 km
Uganda
- Tree cover
- 17%
- Air quality
- 55
- Ibanda133.3 km
Uganda
- Tree cover
- 53%
- Air quality
- 71
- Bunia147.0 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 14%
- Air quality
- 39
- Mbarara178.7 km
Uganda
- Tree cover
- 26%
- Air quality
- 118
- Mubende213.8 km
Uganda
- Tree cover
- 41%
- Air quality
- 75
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Frequently asked
Questions about Beni
What is the air quality (AQI) in Beni right now?
The latest reading for Beni shows an AQI of 41 (Good), observed Nov 10, 17:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Beni today?
At AQI 41 (Good): a good day to be active outside. Windows: open them to air the house. Masks: not needed. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.
What has the air quality in Beni been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Beni's daily AQI at 57 on average, from 50 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 92 on Nov 7. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Beni lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Beni has lost about 9,820 hectares of forest (about 14,000 football pitches): 36% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (54%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations. Forest loss is speeding up: about 764 hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 242 hectares a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Beni grew from about 16,200 hectares to 16,600 hectares, a net gain of about 382 hectares (+2.4%). New forest grew on about 2,090 hectares, while 1,700 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Beni?
Beni has an estimated 62,204 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 19.8% tree cover, 10 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Beni need?
Beni needs roughly 32,044 more trees to close a 10-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 705.0 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Beni'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 Beni; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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