City report · Gauteng, South Africa
Centurion Air quality today
Air quality in Centurion currently reads AQI 58 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 58
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 12.8
- tree cover
- 21.4%
- trees in this area
- 67.2K
- more trees needed
- 27.0K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Centurion Central, Centurion, 0157, South Africa (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 22, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Centurion · AQI 58 (Moderate)
Centurion's tree count comes to 67,163 trees across 12.56 km² of land, 9 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 26,991 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Centurion today: AQI 58, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 18:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · ES_Irene, 6.3 km away · median of 5 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
12.8
PM10
12.8
NO₂
15.8
O₃
106.8
SO₂
18.0
CO
0.0
Data: OpenAQ · South Africa, South African Air Quality Information System (SAAQIS)
- 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 Centurion's daily AQI at 80 on average, from 51 on Nov 9 to an hourly peak of 172 on Nov 11.
Where Centurion stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Centurion: Below target
21.4% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.56 km² of land.
Trees in this area
67,163
Target trees
94,154
More trees needed
26,991
CO₂ if planted / yr
593.8 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Centurion lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Centurion has lost about 46 hectares of forest (about 65 football pitches): 24% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (84%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 46 haabout 65 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 24%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 39 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2002, when about 16 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2002 | 16 ha | under 1 ha | 16 ha |
| 2003 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2004 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2005 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2006 | 4 ha | 2 ha | 6 ha |
| 2007 | 1 ha | 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2015 | 6 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2017 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2022 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Centurion?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good46% · 21 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good37% · 17 ha
- Loggingcan grow back14% · 7 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
- 4,080 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 4,420 ha
- Overall change
- +344 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Centurion grew from about 4,080 hectares to 4,420 hectares, a net gain of about 344 hectares (+8.4%). New forest grew on about 468 hectares, while 124 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 Centurion
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Pretoria12.7 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 15%
- Air quality
- 75
- Thembisa15.8 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 2%
- Air quality
- 58
- Randburg32.0 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 37%
- Air quality
- 44
- Benoni39.1 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 13%
- Air quality
- 81
- Germiston39.7 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 13%
- Air quality
- 44
- Etwatwa40.0 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 2%
- Air quality
- 53
Build your own
Compare Centurion with anywhere
This place
Centurion
Use this data
Put Centurion's numbers on your site
Free to embed. Updates itself as the measurement refreshes.
Frequently asked
Questions about Centurion
What is the air quality (AQI) in Centurion right now?
The latest reading for Centurion shows an AQI of 58 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 18:00 local time by 5 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is ES_Irene, 6.3 km away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Centurion today?
At AQI 58 (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 Centurion been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Centurion's daily AQI at 80 on average, from 51 on Nov 9 to an hourly peak of 172 on Nov 11. On 1 of those days the average was above 100, unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Centurion lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Centurion has lost about 46 hectares of forest (about 65 football pitches): 24% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (84%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Centurion grew from about 4,080 hectares to 4,420 hectares, a net gain of about 344 hectares (+8.4%). New forest grew on about 468 hectares, while 124 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Centurion?
Centurion has an estimated 67,163 trees across the 12.56 km² of land measured — 21.4% tree cover, 9 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Centurion need?
Centurion needs roughly 26,991 more trees to close a 9-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 593.8 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Centurion's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Centurion Central, 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 Centurion Central; 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