Gaborone
2 km around Mmaraka Extension 1
Air quality now
AQI 18
21.4%
tree cover
27.0K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Africa · air quality report · 5 cities
Botswana air quality today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now the 5 cities Airleaf measures in Botswana average AQI 50 (good). The worst air is in Maun, at AQI 88, and the cleanest in Gaborone, at AQI 18.
None of the 5 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 40% have Good air.
Average right now
AQI 50
Good
US EPA index, across 5 cities
- cities measured
- 5
- worst air: Maun
- 88
- cleanest air: Gaborone
- 18
- average tree cover
- 15.6%
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Botswana · average AQI 50
Air quality right now in all 5 cities in Botswana
Good
Francistown
2 km around C.I.A. Extension
Air quality now
AQI 36
24.5%
tree cover
17.3K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Maun
2 km around Shorobe Ward
Air quality now
AQI 88
12.9%
tree cover
53.7K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Molepolole
2 km around Molepolole
Air quality now
AQI 55
8.4%
tree cover
67.8K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Serowe
2 km around Serowe
Air quality now
AQI 52
10.7%
tree cover
60.6K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Across the country
How clean is the air across Botswana today?
None of the 5 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 40% have Good air. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
5 measured cities
- Good2 (40%)
- Moderate3 (60%)
Every measured city, including model estimates where no ground station is near.
Against everywhere else
How does Botswana compare with other countries?
Right now the cities of Botswana average cleaner air than 51% of the 171 countries Airleaf has enough cities to average, and more tree cover than 31%.
Cleaner air than…
- Botswana
- Beats 51%
More tree cover than…
- Botswana
- Beats 31%
See the most polluted and cleanest air rankings for every country.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Botswana lost?
Since 2001, Botswana has lost about 518 hectares of forest (about 730 football pitches): 2.5% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (68%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 518 haabout 730 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 2.5%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 354 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 | 84 ha | 47 ha | 131 ha |
| 2002 | 18 ha | 5 ha | 23 ha |
| 2003 | 7 ha | 3 ha | 10 ha |
| 2004 | 35 ha | 17 ha | 52 ha |
| 2005 | 33 ha | 16 ha | 49 ha |
| 2006 | 23 ha | 18 ha | 41 ha |
| 2007 | 24 ha | 9 ha | 33 ha |
| 2008 | 13 ha | 13 ha | 26 ha |
| 2009 | 33 ha | 9 ha | 41 ha |
| 2010 | 28 ha | 3 ha | 31 ha |
| 2011 | 15 ha | 4 ha | 20 ha |
| 2012 | 13 ha | 3 ha | 16 ha |
| 2013 | 9 ha | 6 ha | 14 ha |
| 2014 | 9 ha | 7 ha | 16 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 | 1 ha |
| 2018 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2020 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2021 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2022 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2023 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2024 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
The worst year was 2001, when about 131 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in Botswana?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good63% · 327 ha
- Mining and energycleared for good3.4% · 18 ha
- Storms, floods and other natural causescan grow back3% · 16 ha
Also: towns and roads, wildfires, logging, 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
Botswana as a whole
27.8% of Botswana was forested as of 2024, against a 30% benchmark. Closing that gap nationally would take roughly 1.3B trees across 1.3M hectares. Source: World Bank (FAO).
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Cleaner air at home in Botswana
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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 Botswana: your questions answered
What is the air quality in Botswana today?
Right now the 5 cities Airleaf measures in Botswana average AQI 50 (good). The worst air is in Maun, at AQI 88, and the cleanest in Gaborone, at AQI 18. None of the 5 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 40% have Good air.
Which city in Botswana has the worst air right now?
Maun, at AQI 88 (Moderate) on the US EPA index. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Which city in Botswana has the cleanest air right now?
Gaborone, at AQI 18 (Good). Both lists rank current readings, from ground stations wherever Botswana has at least three cities with one.
Is the air in Botswana safe to breathe today?
It depends on the city. 2 cities are Good, 3 cities are Moderate. At the national average of AQI 50: Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
How much forest has Botswana lost since 2001?
About 518 ha from 2001 to 2025, 3% of the forest it had in 2000, from the University of Maryland's yearly satellite maps of forest loss. 354 ha of it was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
How does Airleaf measure air quality in Botswana?
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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