Brussels
2 km around Ste Catherine
Air quality now
AQI 51
9.0%
tree cover
65.0K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Europe · air quality report · 8 cities
Belgium air quality today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now the 8 cities Airleaf measures in Belgium average AQI 62 (moderate). The worst air is in Brugge, at AQI 111, and the cleanest in Liège, at AQI 12.
At ground stations alone, which measure rather than estimate, the average is AQI 62 across 8 cities. 13% of the 8 measured cities are over AQI 100 today, where the air stops being fine for sensitive groups, and 13% have Good air.
Average right now
AQI 62
Moderate
US EPA index, across 8 cities
- cities measured
- 8
- worst air: Brugge
- 111
- cleanest air: Liège
- 12
- average tree cover
- 25.8%
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Belgium · average AQI 62
Air quality right now in all 8 cities in Belgium
Moderate
Antwerp
2 km around Historisch centrum
Air quality now
AQI 60
16.2%
tree cover
35.6K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Gent
2 km around Arrondissement of Ghent
Air quality now
AQI 62
20.8%
tree cover
28.7K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Charleroi
2 km around Arrondissement of Charleroi
Air quality now
AQI 63
30.8%
tree cover
Healthy tree cover
Liège
2 km around Liège
Air quality now
AQI 12
37.6%
tree cover
Healthy tree cover
Brugge
2 km around Steenstraat Quarter
Air quality now
AQI 111
22.3%
tree cover
39.9K more trees would reach 35% tree cover
Namur
2 km around Namur
Air quality now
AQI 55
38.5%
tree cover
Healthy tree cover
Leuven
2 km around 3000 Leuven
Air quality now
AQI 80
31.1%
tree cover
Healthy tree cover
Across the country
How clean is the air across Belgium today?
13% of the 8 measured cities are over AQI 100 today, where the air stops being fine for sensitive groups, and 13% have Good air. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
8 measured cities
- Good1 (13%)
- Moderate6 (75%)
- Unhealthy for sensitive groups1 (13%)
Every measured city, including model estimates where no ground station is near.
In aggregate
Belgium 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 8 of 8 cities measured so far in Belgium.
- Average air quality
- AQI 62Mean of the latest reading per city
- Average tree cover
- 25.8%4 of 8 below their target
- Trees counted
- 626KAcross every measured area
- More trees needed
- 169KTo bring each area to its target
Worst air quality right now
Cleanest air right now
Greenest cities in Belgium
Least tree cover in Belgium
Excludes barren and desert sites
Against everywhere else
How does Belgium compare with other countries?
Right now the cities of Belgium average cleaner air than 35% of the 171 countries Airleaf has enough cities to average, and more tree cover than 53%.
Cleaner air than…
- Belgium
- Beats 35%
More tree cover than…
- Belgium
- Beats 53%
See the most polluted and cleanest air rankings for every country.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Belgium lost?
Since 2001, Belgium has lost about 126,000 hectares of forest (about 180,000 football pitches): 15% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 5,570 hectares (4.4%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 126,000 haabout 180,000 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 15%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 5,570 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 | 105 ha | 837 ha | 942 ha |
| 2002 | 153 ha | 2,160 ha | 2,310 ha |
| 2003 | 69 ha | 1,750 ha | 1,820 ha |
| 2004 | 160 ha | 4,480 ha | 4,640 ha |
| 2005 | 230 ha | 2,740 ha | 2,970 ha |
| 2006 | 262 ha | 6,600 ha | 6,860 ha |
| 2007 | 226 ha | 5,690 ha | 5,910 ha |
| 2008 | 210 ha | 6,710 ha | 6,920 ha |
| 2009 | 316 ha | 4,820 ha | 5,140 ha |
| 2010 | 410 ha | 10,400 ha | 10,800 ha |
| 2011 | 241 ha | 4,720 ha | 4,960 ha |
| 2012 | 188 ha | 5,390 ha | 5,580 ha |
| 2013 | 102 ha | 3,170 ha | 3,280 ha |
| 2014 | 135 ha | 4,050 ha | 4,190 ha |
| 2015 | 121 ha | 3,260 ha | 3,380 ha |
| 2016 | 228 ha | 4,150 ha | 4,380 ha |
| 2017 | 194 ha | 3,860 ha | 4,050 ha |
| 2018 | 262 ha | 4,360 ha | 4,620 ha |
| 2019 | 440 ha | 5,110 ha | 5,550 ha |
| 2020 | 317 ha | 5,050 ha | 5,370 ha |
| 2021 | 432 ha | 8,770 ha | 9,200 ha |
| 2022 | 216 ha | 4,590 ha | 4,810 ha |
| 2023 | 240 ha | 7,320 ha | 7,560 ha |
| 2024 | 201 ha | 5,820 ha | 6,020 ha |
| 2025 | 114 ha | 4,170 ha | 4,290 ha |
Forest loss is speeding up: about 6,370 hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 4,790 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2010, when about 10,800 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in Belgium?
- Loggingcan grow back94% · 119,000 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good3.3% · 4,190 ha
Also: farms, pasture and plantations, mining and energy, wildfires, storms, floods and other natural causes, 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
Belgium as a whole
22.0% of Belgium was forested as of 2024, against a 30% benchmark. Closing that gap nationally would take roughly 244.3M trees across 244K hectares. Source: World Bank (FAO).
Build your own
Compare Belgium with another country
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Belgium
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Cleaner air at home in Belgium
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Frequently asked
Air quality in Belgium: your questions answered
What is the air quality in Belgium today?
Right now the 8 cities Airleaf measures in Belgium average AQI 62 (moderate). The worst air is in Brugge, at AQI 111, and the cleanest in Liège, at AQI 12. At ground stations alone, which measure rather than estimate, the average is AQI 62 across 8 cities. 13% of the 8 measured cities are over AQI 100 today, where the air stops being fine for sensitive groups, and 13% have Good air.
Which city in Belgium has the worst air right now?
Brugge, at AQI 111 (Unhealthy for sensitive groups) on the US EPA index. Sensitive groups should limit long or intense outdoor activity.
Which city in Belgium has the cleanest air right now?
Liège, at AQI 12 (Good). Both lists rank current readings, from ground stations wherever Belgium has at least three cities with one.
Is the air in Belgium safe to breathe today?
It depends on the city. 1 city is Good, 6 cities are Moderate, 1 city is Unhealthy for sensitive groups. At the national average of AQI 62: Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
How much forest has Belgium lost since 2001?
About 126,000 ha from 2001 to 2025, 15% of the forest it had in 2000, from the University of Maryland's yearly satellite maps of forest loss. 5,570 ha of it was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
Which city in Belgium has the most trees?
Namur, with 38.5% tree cover within 2 km of its center, measured from Sentinel-2 satellite images.
How does Airleaf measure air quality in Belgium?
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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