Gitega
2 km around Gitega
Air quality now
AQI 52
13.6%
tree cover
51.5K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Africa · air quality report · 5 cities
Burundi air quality today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now the 5 cities Airleaf measures in Burundi average AQI 57 (moderate). The worst air is in Bujumbura, at AQI 73, and the cleanest in Rumonge, at AQI 44.
None of the 5 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 20% have Good air.
Average right now
AQI 57
Moderate
US EPA index, across 5 cities
- cities measured
- 5
- worst air: Bujumbura
- 73
- cleanest air: Rumonge
- 44
- 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.
Burundi · average AQI 57
Air quality right now in all 5 cities in Burundi
Moderate
Bujumbura
2 km around Bujumbura
Air quality now
AQI 73
15.4%
tree cover
42.7K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Ngozi
2 km around Ngozi
Air quality now
AQI 56
15.5%
tree cover
45.6K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Rumonge
2 km around Centre-Urbain
Air quality now
AQI 44
28.8%
tree cover
2.9K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Cibitoke
2 km around Rugombo
Air quality now
AQI 61
4.8%
tree cover
79.2K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Across the country
How clean is the air across Burundi today?
None of the 5 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 20% have Good air. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
5 measured cities
- Good1 (20%)
- Moderate4 (80%)
Every measured city, including model estimates where no ground station is near.
Against everywhere else
How does Burundi compare with other countries?
Right now the cities of Burundi average cleaner air than 43% of the 171 countries Airleaf has enough cities to average, and more tree cover than 31%.
Cleaner air than…
- Burundi
- Beats 43%
More tree cover than…
- Burundi
- Beats 31%
See the most polluted and cleanest air rankings for every country.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Burundi lost?
Since 2001, Burundi has lost about 40,000 hectares of forest (about 56,000 football pitches): 7.4% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (87%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 40,000 haabout 56,000 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 7.4%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 34,800 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 | 1,240 ha | 162 ha | 1,410 ha |
| 2002 | 872 ha | 84 ha | 956 ha |
| 2003 | 1,180 ha | 111 ha | 1,290 ha |
| 2004 | 563 ha | 47 ha | 610 ha |
| 2005 | 855 ha | 113 ha | 968 ha |
| 2006 | 295 ha | 43 ha | 338 ha |
| 2007 | 1,700 ha | 122 ha | 1,820 ha |
| 2008 | 1,780 ha | 138 ha | 1,910 ha |
| 2009 | 797 ha | 46 ha | 843 ha |
| 2010 | 1,720 ha | 162 ha | 1,880 ha |
| 2011 | 887 ha | 69 ha | 956 ha |
| 2012 | 742 ha | 108 ha | 850 ha |
| 2013 | 1,140 ha | 252 ha | 1,390 ha |
| 2014 | 1,550 ha | 500 ha | 2,050 ha |
| 2015 | 1,130 ha | 328 ha | 1,450 ha |
| 2016 | 1,210 ha | 365 ha | 1,570 ha |
| 2017 | 1,520 ha | 306 ha | 1,830 ha |
| 2018 | 2,470 ha | 404 ha | 2,880 ha |
| 2019 | 2,080 ha | 309 ha | 2,390 ha |
| 2020 | 1,550 ha | 314 ha | 1,870 ha |
| 2021 | 1,980 ha | 293 ha | 2,270 ha |
| 2022 | 1,410 ha | 190 ha | 1,600 ha |
| 2023 | 1,780 ha | 175 ha | 1,960 ha |
| 2024 | 1,950 ha | 188 ha | 2,130 ha |
| 2025 | 2,380 ha | 351 ha | 2,730 ha |
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 2,140 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 2,110 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2018, when about 2,880 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in Burundi?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good86% · 34,300 ha
- Loggingcan grow back9.2% · 3,690 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good1.3% · 505 ha
Also: shifting farming, storms, floods and other natural causes, wildfires, 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
Burundi as a whole
10.9% of Burundi was forested as of 2024, against a 30% benchmark. Closing that gap nationally would take roughly 490.8M trees across 491K hectares. Source: World Bank (FAO).
Build your own
Compare Burundi with another country
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Burundi
Clean-air buying guides
Cleaner air at home in Burundi
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 Burundi: your questions answered
What is the air quality in Burundi today?
Right now the 5 cities Airleaf measures in Burundi average AQI 57 (moderate). The worst air is in Bujumbura, at AQI 73, and the cleanest in Rumonge, at AQI 44. None of the 5 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 20% have Good air.
Which city in Burundi has the worst air right now?
Bujumbura, at AQI 73 (Moderate) on the US EPA index. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Which city in Burundi has the cleanest air right now?
Rumonge, at AQI 44 (Good). Both lists rank current readings, from ground stations wherever Burundi has at least three cities with one.
Is the air in Burundi safe to breathe today?
It depends on the city. 1 city is Good, 4 cities are Moderate. At the national average of AQI 57: Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
How much forest has Burundi lost since 2001?
About 40,000 ha from 2001 to 2025, 7% of the forest it had in 2000, from the University of Maryland's yearly satellite maps of forest loss. 34,800 ha of it was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
How does Airleaf measure air quality in Burundi?
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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