City report · Bas-Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Boma Air quality today
Air quality in Boma currently reads AQI 35 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
AQI 35
Air quality right now
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 6.3
- tree cover
- 17.0%
- trees in this area
- 43.0K
- more trees needed
- 32.9K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Boma, Democratic Republic of the Congo (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 6, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Boma · AQI 35 (Good)
Boma's tree count comes to 42,993 trees across 10.12 km² of land, 13 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 32,877 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Boma today: AQI 35, Good
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 10, 23:00 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
6.3
PM10
8.2
NO₂
2.6
O₃
31.0
SO₂
0.5
CO
137.0
- 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 Boma's daily AQI at 37 on average, from 20 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 56 on Nov 5.
Where Boma stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Boma: Critically low
17.0% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 10.12 km² of land.
Trees in this area
42,993
Target trees
75,870
More trees needed
32,877
CO₂ if planted / yr
723.3 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Boma lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Boma has lost about 370 hectares of forest (about 520 football pitches): 6.6% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was shifting farming (50%), after which forest can grow back. About 119 hectares (32%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from April 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km northeast of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 370 haabout 520 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 6.6%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 119 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2014, when about 114 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 | 2 ha | 3 ha | 4 ha |
| 2002 | 5 ha | 5 ha | 10 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2004 | 4 ha | 5 ha | 9 ha |
| 2005 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2006 | 9 ha | 14 ha | 23 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 2 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2009 | 21 ha | 4 ha | 25 ha |
| 2010 | 4 ha | 3 ha | 6 ha |
| 2011 | 13 ha | 15 ha | 28 ha |
| 2012 | 12 ha | 6 ha | 18 ha |
| 2013 | 9 ha | 22 ha | 30 ha |
| 2014 | 32 ha | 83 ha | 114 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | 11 ha | 11 ha |
| 2017 | 1 ha | 13 ha | 14 ha |
| 2018 | 2 ha | 12 ha | 13 ha |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | 4 ha | 5 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | 5 ha | 6 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | 19 ha | 20 ha |
| 2022 | 1 ha | 4 ha | 5 ha |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | 11 ha | 12 ha |
| 2024 | 2 ha | 2 ha | 5 ha |
| 2025 | 1 ha | 9 ha | 10 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Boma?
- Shifting farmingcan grow back50% · 184 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good22% · 80 ha
- Storms, floods and other natural causescan grow back13% · 49 ha
Also: towns and roads, 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
- 1,280 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 597 ha
- Overall change
- −679 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Boma shrank from about 1,280 hectares to 597 hectares, a net loss of about 679 hectares (−53%). New forest grew on about 13 hectares, but 692 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 Boma
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Matadi45.3 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 4%
- Air quality
- 32
- Moanda75.9 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 4%
- Air quality
- 54
- Soyo82.0 km
Angola
- Tree cover
- 24%
- Air quality
- 53
- Cabinda100.3 km
Angola
- Tree cover
- 6%
- Air quality
- 60
- Mbanza Kongo138.9 km
Angola
- Tree cover
- 19%
- Air quality
- 106
- Pointe-Noire177.9 km
Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 6%
- Air quality
- 65
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Frequently asked
Questions about Boma
What is the air quality (AQI) in Boma right now?
The latest reading for Boma shows an AQI of 35 (Good), observed Nov 10, 23:00 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 Boma today?
At AQI 35 (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 Boma been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Boma's daily AQI at 37 on average, from 20 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 56 on Nov 5. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Boma lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Boma has lost about 370 hectares of forest (about 520 football pitches): 6.6% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was shifting farming (50%), after which forest can grow back. About 119 hectares (32%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Boma shrank from about 1,280 hectares to 597 hectares, a net loss of about 679 hectares (−53%). New forest grew on about 13 hectares, but 692 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Boma?
Boma has an estimated 42,993 trees across the 10.12 km² of land measured — 17.0% tree cover, 13 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Boma need?
Boma needs roughly 32,877 more trees to close a 13-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 723.3 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Boma'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 Boma; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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