City report · Poland
Białystok Air quality today
Air quality in Białystok currently reads AQI 73 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 73
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 20.8
- tree cover
- 31.4%
- trees in this area
- 98.5K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 2 km radius around Osiedle Centrum, Białystok, Poland (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 24, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Białystok · AQI 73 (Moderate)
Białystok's tree count comes to 98,547 trees across 12.56 km² of land, already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Białystok today: AQI 73, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 16:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Białystok, Al. Piłsudskiego, 300 m away · median of 4 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
20.8
PM10
21.3
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
0.2
CO
350.0
Data: OpenAQ · EEA
- 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 Białystok's daily AQI at 63 on average, from 38 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 169 on Nov 8.
Where Białystok stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Białystok: Healthy tree cover
31.4% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.56 km² of land.
Trees in this area
98,547
Target trees
98,547
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Białystok lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Białystok has lost about 1,380 hectares of forest (about 1,900 football pitches): 14% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 435 hectares (32%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km east of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1,380 haabout 1,900 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 14%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 435 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss is slowing down: about 61 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 102 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2017, when about 154 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 | 3 ha | 9 ha | 12 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | 4 ha | 4 ha |
| 2003 | 9 ha | 8 ha | 17 ha |
| 2004 | 9 ha | 12 ha | 21 ha |
| 2005 | 22 ha | 25 ha | 48 ha |
| 2006 | 6 ha | 23 ha | 29 ha |
| 2007 | 28 ha | 29 ha | 57 ha |
| 2008 | 14 ha | 49 ha | 62 ha |
| 2009 | 26 ha | 47 ha | 74 ha |
| 2010 | 42 ha | 35 ha | 77 ha |
| 2011 | 18 ha | 35 ha | 52 ha |
| 2012 | 19 ha | 24 ha | 43 ha |
| 2013 | 10 ha | 12 ha | 22 ha |
| 2014 | 9 ha | 25 ha | 34 ha |
| 2015 | 2 ha | 15 ha | 17 ha |
| 2016 | 23 ha | 118 ha | 141 ha |
| 2017 | 57 ha | 97 ha | 154 ha |
| 2018 | 26 ha | 35 ha | 61 ha |
| 2019 | 8 ha | 48 ha | 56 ha |
| 2020 | 18 ha | 79 ha | 97 ha |
| 2021 | 25 ha | 35 ha | 60 ha |
| 2022 | 12 ha | 49 ha | 62 ha |
| 2023 | 14 ha | 46 ha | 61 ha |
| 2024 | 14 ha | 52 ha | 65 ha |
| 2025 | 21 ha | 35 ha | 56 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Białystok?
- Loggingcan grow back68% · 936 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good32% · 435 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
- 9,210 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 10,000 ha
- Overall change
- +797 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Białystok grew from about 9,210 hectares to 10,000 hectares, a net gain of about 797 hectares (+8.7%). New forest grew on about 1,430 hectares, while 635 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 Białystok
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
Build your own
Compare Białystok with anywhere
This place
Białystok
Use this data
Put Białystok's numbers on your site
Free to embed. Updates itself as the measurement refreshes.
Frequently asked
Questions about Białystok
What is the air quality (AQI) in Białystok right now?
The latest reading for Białystok shows an AQI of 73 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 16:00 local time by 4 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Białystok, Al. Piłsudskiego, 300 m away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Białystok today?
At AQI 73 (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 Białystok been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Białystok's daily AQI at 63 on average, from 38 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 169 on Nov 8. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Białystok lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Białystok has lost about 1,380 hectares of forest (about 1,900 football pitches): 14% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 435 hectares (32%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Forest loss is slowing down: about 61 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 102 hectares a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Białystok grew from about 9,210 hectares to 10,000 hectares, a net gain of about 797 hectares (+8.7%). New forest grew on about 1,430 hectares, while 635 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Białystok?
Białystok has an estimated 98,547 trees across the 12.56 km² of land measured — 31.4% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Białystok need?
Białystok has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Białystok's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Osiedle Centrum, 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 2 km radius around Osiedle Centrum; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
See your own area
What does your neighborhood look like?
Pick any point and radius to get the same air-quality and tree-cover breakdown.
Check my address