City report · Denmark
Copenhagen Air quality today
Air quality in Copenhagen currently reads AQI 63 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 63
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 15.4
- tree cover
- 17.4%
- trees in this area
- 50.0K
- more trees needed
- 36.2K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Metropolzonen, Indre By, Denmark (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Aug 3, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Copenhagen · AQI 63 (Moderate)
Copenhagen's tree count comes to 50,017 trees across 11.5 km² of land, 13 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 36,219 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Copenhagen today: AQI 63, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 16:00 local time via OpenAQ and World Air Quality Index Project ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · H.C.Andersens Boulevard, Copenhagen, Denmark, 300 m away · median of 3 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
15.4
PM10
20.5
NO₂
5.5
O₃
51.9
SO₂
—
CO
200.0
Data: OpenAQ · EEA, World Air Quality Index Project, The Department of Environmental Science at Aarhus University - Institut for Miljøvidenskab
- 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 Copenhagen's daily AQI at 47 on average, from 23 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 71 on Nov 10.
Where Copenhagen stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Copenhagen: Critically low
17.4% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 11.5 km² of land.
Trees in this area
50,017
Target trees
86,236
More trees needed
36,219
CO₂ if planted / yr
796.8 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Copenhagen lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Copenhagen has lost about 56 hectares of forest (about 78 football pitches): 2.7% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (78%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2018: satellite photo from July 2018 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 56 haabout 78 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 2.7%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 43 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2008, when about 19 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 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2005 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2006 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2007 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2008 | 19 ha | under 1 ha | 19 ha |
| 2009 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2010 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 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 | 1 ha |
| 2015 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2017 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2019 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2024 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2025 | 2 ha | 5 ha | 7 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Copenhagen?
- Towns and roadscleared for good66% · 37 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good12% · 7 ha
- Unknown causescause unknown23% · 13 ha
Also: logging.
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
- 1,210 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 1,330 ha
- Overall change
- +118 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Copenhagen grew from about 1,210 hectares to 1,330 hectares, a net gain of about 118 hectares (+9.7%). New forest grew on about 198 hectares, while 80 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 Copenhagen
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Malmö28.4 km
Sweden
- Tree cover
- 15%
- Air quality
- 61
- Helsingborg42.0 km
Sweden
- Tree cover
- 27%
- Air quality
- 48
- Rostock178.6 km
Germany
- Tree cover
- 38%
- Air quality
- 67
- Kiel216.1 km
Germany
- Tree cover
- 35%
- Air quality
- 53
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Frequently asked
Questions about Copenhagen
What is the air quality (AQI) in Copenhagen right now?
The latest reading for Copenhagen shows an AQI of 63 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 16:00 local time by 3 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is H.C.Andersens Boulevard, Copenhagen, Denmark, 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 Copenhagen today?
At AQI 63 (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 Copenhagen been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Copenhagen's daily AQI at 47 on average, from 23 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 71 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 Copenhagen lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Copenhagen has lost about 56 hectares of forest (about 78 football pitches): 2.7% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (78%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Copenhagen grew from about 1,210 hectares to 1,330 hectares, a net gain of about 118 hectares (+9.7%). New forest grew on about 198 hectares, while 80 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Copenhagen?
Copenhagen has an estimated 50,017 trees across the 11.5 km² of land measured — 17.4% tree cover, 13 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Copenhagen need?
Copenhagen needs roughly 36,219 more trees to close a 13-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 796.8 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Copenhagen's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Metropolzonen, 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 Metropolzonen; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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