City report · Edo State, Nigeria
Benin City Air quality today
Air quality in Benin City currently reads AQI 67 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 67
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 20.6
- tree cover
- 5.8%
- trees in this area
- 18.2K
- more trees needed
- 76.0K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Avbiama, Benin City, Edo, Nigeria (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Jan 21, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Benin City · AQI 67 (Moderate)
Benin City's tree count comes to 18,221 trees across 12.57 km², 24 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 76,027 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Benin City today: AQI 67, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 10, 16:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 3 ground-station cities within 225 km, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Estimate · model corrected with 3 station cities within 225 km, e.g. Nsukka and Ibadan
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
20.6
PM10
23.2
NO₂
9.6
O₃
72.0
SO₂
0.8
CO
508.0
- 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 Benin City's daily AQI at 69 on average, from 65 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 104 on Nov 4.
Where Benin City stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Benin City: Critically low
5.8% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
18,221
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
76,027
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,673 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Benin City lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Benin City has lost about 2,260 hectares of forest (about 3,200 football pitches): 39% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (over 99%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2018: satellite photo from January 2018 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km northwest of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 2,260 haabout 3,200 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 39%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 2,260 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2001, when about 584 hectares of forest were lost.
Benin City's full deforestation reportHectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 584 ha | under 1 ha | 584 ha |
| 2002 | 167 ha | 1 ha | 168 ha |
| 2003 | 18 ha | under 1 ha | 18 ha |
| 2004 | 12 ha | under 1 ha | 12 ha |
| 2005 | 17 ha | under 1 ha | 17 ha |
| 2006 | 37 ha | under 1 ha | 37 ha |
| 2007 | 179 ha | under 1 ha | 179 ha |
| 2008 | 246 ha | under 1 ha | 246 ha |
| 2009 | 126 ha | under 1 ha | 126 ha |
| 2010 | 133 ha | 1 ha | 134 ha |
| 2011 | 222 ha | under 1 ha | 222 ha |
| 2012 | 75 ha | under 1 ha | 75 ha |
| 2013 | 68 ha | under 1 ha | 68 ha |
| 2014 | 51 ha | under 1 ha | 51 ha |
| 2015 | 12 ha | under 1 ha | 12 ha |
| 2016 | 57 ha | under 1 ha | 57 ha |
| 2017 | 71 ha | under 1 ha | 71 ha |
| 2018 | 40 ha | under 1 ha | 40 ha |
| 2019 | 23 ha | under 1 ha | 23 ha |
| 2020 | 17 ha | under 1 ha | 17 ha |
| 2021 | 42 ha | under 1 ha | 42 ha |
| 2022 | 45 ha | under 1 ha | 45 ha |
| 2023 | 6 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2024 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2025 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Benin City?
- Towns and roadscleared for good90% · 2,050 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good8.4% · 190 ha
Also: mining and energy, 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
- 4,890 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 2,470 ha
- Overall change
- −2,420 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Benin City shrank from about 4,890 hectares to 2,470 hectares, a net loss of about 2,420 hectares (−49%). New forest grew on about 340 hectares, but 2,760 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 Benin City
What is the air quality (AQI) in Benin City right now?
The latest reading for Benin City shows an AQI of 67 (Moderate), observed Nov 10, 16:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 3 ground-station cities within 225 km, 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 Benin City today?
At AQI 67 (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 Benin City been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Benin City's daily AQI at 69 on average, from 65 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 104 on Nov 4. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Benin City lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Benin City has lost about 2,260 hectares of forest (about 3,200 football pitches): 39% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (over 99%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Benin City shrank from about 4,890 hectares to 2,470 hectares, a net loss of about 2,420 hectares (−49%). New forest grew on about 340 hectares, but 2,760 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Benin City?
Benin City has an estimated 18,221 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 5.8% tree cover, 24 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Benin City need?
Benin City needs roughly 76,027 more trees to close a 24-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,673 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Benin City'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 Avbiama; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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