City report · North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Bochum Air quality today
Air quality in Bochum currently reads AQI 86 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 86
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 27.8
- tree cover
- 48.2%
- trees in this area
- 151K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 2 km radius around Bochum-Innenstadt, Bochum-Mitte, Bochum, Germany (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 25, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Bochum · AQI 86 (Moderate)
Bochum's tree count comes to 151,425 trees across 12.57 km², already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Bochum today: AQI 86, 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 · Bochum Gerthe, 6.7 km away · median of 2 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
27.8
PM10
20.0
NO₂
—
O₃
4.6
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, EEA, dirkhbo
- 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 Bochum's daily AQI at 69 on average, from 49 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 92 on Nov 10.
Where Bochum stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Bochum: Healthy tree cover
48.2% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
151,425
Target trees
151,425
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Bochum lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Bochum has lost about 142 hectares of forest (about 200 football pitches): 1.5% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (59%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from August 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 142 haabout 200 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 1.5%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 83 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2008, when about 14 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 | 7 ha | 3 ha | 9 ha |
| 2002 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2003 | 2 ha | 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2004 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2005 | 2 ha | 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2006 | 7 ha | 3 ha | 9 ha |
| 2007 | 6 ha | 2 ha | 8 ha |
| 2008 | 10 ha | 5 ha | 14 ha |
| 2009 | 4 ha | 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2010 | 5 ha | 8 ha | 13 ha |
| 2011 | 2 ha | 3 ha | 5 ha |
| 2012 | 2 ha | 2 ha | 3 ha |
| 2013 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | 3 ha | 3 ha |
| 2016 | 5 ha | 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2017 | 7 ha | 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2018 | 1 ha | 2 ha | 3 ha |
| 2019 | 5 ha | 3 ha | 8 ha |
| 2020 | 2 ha | 13 ha | 14 ha |
| 2021 | 5 ha | 2 ha | 7 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2024 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Bochum?
- Towns and roadscleared for good56% · 80 ha
- Loggingcan grow back25% · 35 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good2.2% · 3 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
- 18,000 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 18,100 ha
- Overall change
- +106 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Bochum stayed about the same size, at about 18,100 hectares: new forest grew on about 441 hectares, and about 335 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 Bochum
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Essen14.4 km
Germany
- Tree cover
- 35%
- Air quality
- 72
- Recklinghausen14.7 km
Germany
- Tree cover
- 49%
- Air quality
- 79
- Dortmund17.7 km
Germany
- Tree cover
- 35%
- Air quality
- 80
- Hagen22.2 km
Germany
- Tree cover
- 51%
- Air quality
- 46
- Oberhausen24.5 km
Germany
- Tree cover
- 40%
- Air quality
- 85
- Wuppertal25.5 km
Germany
- Tree cover
- 52%
- Air quality
- 42
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Frequently asked
Questions about Bochum
What is the air quality (AQI) in Bochum right now?
The latest reading for Bochum shows an AQI of 86 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 16:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Bochum Gerthe, 6.7 km away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Bochum today?
At AQI 86 (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 Bochum been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Bochum's daily AQI at 69 on average, from 49 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 92 on Nov 10. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Bochum lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Bochum has lost about 142 hectares of forest (about 200 football pitches): 1.5% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (59%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Bochum stayed about the same size, at about 18,100 hectares: new forest grew on about 441 hectares, and about 335 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Bochum?
Bochum has an estimated 151,425 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 48.2% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Bochum need?
Bochum has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Bochum's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Bochum-Innenstadt, 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 Bochum-Innenstadt; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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