City report · Zambia
Chipata Air quality today
Air quality in Chipata currently reads AQI 29 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Air quality right now
AQI 29
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 5.5
- tree cover
- 19.9%
- trees in this area
- 62.5K
- more trees needed
- 31.7K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Chipata, Zambia (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 12, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Chipata · AQI 29 (Good)
Chipata's tree count comes to 62,518 trees across 12.57 km², 10 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 31,730 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Chipata today: AQI 29, Good
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 10, 21:00 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
5.5
PM10
6.8
NO₂
0.9
O₃
58.0
SO₂
0.7
CO
121.0
- 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 Chipata's daily AQI at 60 on average, from 41 on Nov 10 to an hourly peak of 75 on Nov 5.
Where Chipata stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Chipata: Below target
19.9% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
62,518
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
31,730
CO₂ if planted / yr
698.1 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Chipata lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Chipata has lost about 254 hectares of forest (about 360 football pitches): 11% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (over 99%) 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
- 254 haabout 360 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 11%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 253 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2001, when about 27 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 | 27 ha | under 1 ha | 27 ha |
| 2002 | 10 ha | under 1 ha | 10 ha |
| 2003 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2004 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2005 | 9 ha | under 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2006 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2007 | 16 ha | under 1 ha | 16 ha |
| 2008 | 25 ha | under 1 ha | 25 ha |
| 2009 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2010 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2011 | 20 ha | under 1 ha | 21 ha |
| 2012 | 15 ha | under 1 ha | 15 ha |
| 2013 | 11 ha | under 1 ha | 11 ha |
| 2014 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2015 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2016 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2017 | 18 ha | under 1 ha | 18 ha |
| 2018 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2019 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2020 | 10 ha | under 1 ha | 10 ha |
| 2021 | 9 ha | under 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2022 | 18 ha | under 1 ha | 18 ha |
| 2023 | 16 ha | under 1 ha | 16 ha |
| 2024 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2025 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Chipata?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good97% · 246 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good2.8% · 7 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
- 7,140 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 6,040 ha
- Overall change
- −1,100 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Chipata shrank from about 7,140 hectares to 6,040 hectares, a net loss of about 1,100 hectares (−15%). New forest grew on about 327 hectares, but 1,430 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 Chipata
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Lilongwe128.3 km
Malawi
- Tree cover
- 35%
- Air quality
- 93
- Lichinga282.4 km
Mozambique
- Tree cover
- 7%
- Air quality
- 81
- Mzuzu283.2 km
Malawi
- Tree cover
- 19%
- Air quality
- 152
- Tete298.1 km
Mozambique
- Tree cover
- 12%
- Air quality
- 72
- Mandimba333.5 km
Mozambique
- Tree cover
- 10%
- Air quality
- 51
- Zomba347.1 km
Malawi
- Tree cover
- 35%
- Air quality
- 79
Also compared:Chipata vs LusakaChipata vs KitweChipata vs NdolaChipata vs Kasama
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Frequently asked
Questions about Chipata
What is the air quality (AQI) in Chipata right now?
The latest reading for Chipata shows an AQI of 29 (Good), observed Nov 10, 21:00 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 Chipata today?
At AQI 29 (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 Chipata been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Chipata's daily AQI at 60 on average, from 41 on Nov 10 to an hourly peak of 75 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 Chipata lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Chipata has lost about 254 hectares of forest (about 360 football pitches): 11% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (over 99%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Chipata shrank from about 7,140 hectares to 6,040 hectares, a net loss of about 1,100 hectares (−15%). New forest grew on about 327 hectares, but 1,430 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Chipata?
Chipata has an estimated 62,518 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 19.9% tree cover, 10 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Chipata need?
Chipata needs roughly 31,730 more trees to close a 10-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 698.1 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Chipata'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 Chipata; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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