Kabul
2 km around Kabul
Air quality now
AQI 116
10.4%
tree cover
77.3K more trees would reach 35% tree cover
Asia · air quality report · 11 cities
Afghanistan air quality today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now the 11 cities Airleaf measures in Afghanistan average AQI 53 (moderate). The worst air is in Kabul, at AQI 116, and the cleanest in Herāt, at AQI 4.
18% of the 11 measured cities are over AQI 100 today, where the air stops being fine for sensitive groups, and 55% have Good air.
Average right now
AQI 53
Moderate
US EPA index, across 11 cities
- cities measured
- 11
- worst air: Kabul
- 116
- cleanest air: Herāt
- 4
- average tree cover
- 5.4%
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Afghanistan · average AQI 53
Air quality right now in the 8 largest cities in Afghanistan
Unhealthy for sensitive groups
Herāt
2 km around Herat
Air quality now
AQI 4
3.0%
tree cover
84.8K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Mazār-e Sharīf
2 km around Mazar-i-Sharif
Air quality now
AQI 47
2.8%
tree cover
85.5K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Kandahār
2 km around Kandahar
Air quality now
AQI 59
0.6%
tree cover
92.4K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Jalālābād
2 km around Jalalabad
Air quality now
AQI 81
6.9%
tree cover
72.5K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Kunduz
2 km around Kunduz
Air quality now
AQI 13
3.2%
tree cover
84.2K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Ghazni
2 km around Ghazni
Air quality now
AQI 47
4.7%
tree cover
79.5K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Balkh
2 km around Balkh 175101
Air quality now
AQI 10
14.5%
tree cover
48.7K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Across the country
How clean is the air across Afghanistan today?
18% of the 11 measured cities are over AQI 100 today, where the air stops being fine for sensitive groups, and 55% have Good air. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
11 measured cities
- Good6 (55%)
- Moderate3 (27%)
- Unhealthy for sensitive groups2 (18%)
Every measured city, including model estimates where no ground station is near.
In aggregate
Afghanistan in numbers
Every figure below is read the same way over the same 2 km area per city, so they add up and compare like for like. Averaged across the 11 of 11 cities measured so far in Afghanistan.
- Average air quality
- AQI 53Mean of the latest reading per city
- Average tree cover
- 5.4%11 of 11 below their target
- Trees counted
- 186KAcross every measured area
- More trees needed
- 882KTo bring each area to its target
Worst air quality right now
Cleanest air right now
Greenest cities in Afghanistan
Least tree cover in Afghanistan
Excludes barren and desert sites
Against everywhere else
How does Afghanistan compare with other countries?
Right now the cities of Afghanistan average cleaner air than 49% of the 171 countries Airleaf has enough cities to average, and more tree cover than 12%.
Cleaner air than…
- Afghanistan
- Beats 49%
More tree cover than…
- Afghanistan
- Beats 12%
See the most polluted and cleanest air rankings for every country.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Afghanistan lost?
Since 2001, Afghanistan has lost about 1,870 hectares of forest (about 2,600 football pitches): under 1% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 232 hectares (12%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1,870 haabout 2,600 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- under 1%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 232 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 67 ha | 25 ha | 92 ha |
| 2002 | 50 ha | 119 ha | 169 ha |
| 2003 | 12 ha | 226 ha | 238 ha |
| 2004 | 24 ha | 187 ha | 211 ha |
| 2005 | 14 ha | 216 ha | 230 ha |
| 2006 | 11 ha | 148 ha | 158 ha |
| 2007 | 10 ha | 186 ha | 196 ha |
| 2008 | 8 ha | 107 ha | 115 ha |
| 2009 | 10 ha | 78 ha | 88 ha |
| 2010 | 4 ha | 80 ha | 85 ha |
| 2011 | 9 ha | 100 ha | 109 ha |
| 2012 | 11 ha | 28 ha | 39 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | 3 ha | 3 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2017 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | 26 ha | 26 ha |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | 17 ha | 18 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | 37 ha | 37 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | 27 ha | 27 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | 6 ha | 7 ha |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | 6 ha | 7 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | 7 ha | 7 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | 5 ha | 5 ha |
The worst year was 2003, when about 238 hectares of forest were lost, mostly to wildfires.
What is causing deforestation in Afghanistan?
- Loggingcan grow back54% · 1,000 ha
- Wildfirescan grow back21% · 383 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good12% · 232 ha
Also: storms, floods and other natural causes, mining and energy, unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
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. How it's measured
Afghanistan as a whole
1.9% of Afghanistan was forested as of 2024, against a 30% benchmark. Closing that gap nationally would take roughly 18.4B trees across 18.4M hectares. Source: World Bank (FAO).
Full directory
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Clean-air buying guides
Cleaner air at home in Afghanistan
Picked by tested clean-air delivery rate (CADR), noise and running cost, from independent test labels. No brand pays to be listed.
- The best air purifiers for wildfire smoke and smog
Air purifiers that keep up with wildfire smoke and winter smog, ranked by verified smoke CADR, with the room each one clears on a smoky day.
- The best air purifiers under $200
Good HEPA air purifiers under $200 at the makers' own prices, compared on verified clean air, room size and what the filters cost each year.
- NIOSH-approved N95 masks for smoke and smog
NIOSH-approved N95 masks and P100 respirators for smog and smoke, and how to get the fit right. Cloth and surgical masks do little against PM2.5.
Frequently asked
Air quality in Afghanistan: your questions answered
What is the air quality in Afghanistan today?
Right now the 11 cities Airleaf measures in Afghanistan average AQI 53 (moderate). The worst air is in Kabul, at AQI 116, and the cleanest in Herāt, at AQI 4. 18% of the 11 measured cities are over AQI 100 today, where the air stops being fine for sensitive groups, and 55% have Good air.
Which city in Afghanistan has the worst air right now?
Kabul, at AQI 116 (Unhealthy for sensitive groups) on the US EPA index. Sensitive groups should limit long or intense outdoor activity.
Which city in Afghanistan has the cleanest air right now?
Herāt, at AQI 4 (Good). Both lists rank current readings, from ground stations wherever Afghanistan has at least three cities with one.
Is the air in Afghanistan safe to breathe today?
It depends on the city. 6 cities are Good, 3 cities are Moderate, 2 cities are Unhealthy for sensitive groups. At the national average of AQI 53: Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
How much forest has Afghanistan lost since 2001?
About 1,870 ha from 2001 to 2025, 1% of the forest it had in 2000, from the University of Maryland's yearly satellite maps of forest loss. 232 ha of it was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
Which city in Afghanistan has the most trees?
Balkh, with 14.5% tree cover within 2 km of its center, measured from Sentinel-2 satellite images.
How does Airleaf measure air quality in Afghanistan?
Each city's reading is the US EPA air quality index, from ground monitoring stations where one has reported recently nearby, and from the CAMS atmospheric model elsewhere; each city's report says which. Tree cover is measured over the same 2 km radius in every city, so the cities compare like for like.
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