Yaoundé
2 km around Centre ville
Air quality now
AQI 77
9.8%
tree cover
63.3K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Africa · air quality report · 16 cities
Cameroon air quality today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now the 16 cities Airleaf measures in Cameroon average AQI 80 (moderate). The worst air is in Bafoussam, at AQI 151, and the cleanest in Edéa, at AQI 47.
19% of the 16 measured cities are over AQI 100 today, where the air stops being fine for sensitive groups, and 6% have Good air.
Average right now
AQI 80
Moderate
US EPA index, across 16 cities
- cities measured
- 16
- worst air: Bafoussam
- 151
- cleanest air: Edéa
- 47
- average tree cover
- 29.3%
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Cameroon · average AQI 80
Air quality right now in the 8 largest cities in Cameroon
Moderate
Douala
2 km around Akwa II
Air quality now
AQI 72
4.2%
tree cover
80.6K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Bamenda
2 km around Bamenda
Air quality now
AQI 90
20.6%
tree cover
29.5K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Bafoussam
2 km around Bafoussam
Air quality now
AQI 151
12.5%
tree cover
86.4K more trees would reach 40% tree cover
Maroua
2 km around Domayo
Air quality now
AQI 62
15.2%
tree cover
46.5K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Ngaoundéré
2 km around Baladji
Air quality now
AQI 71
17.4%
tree cover
39.6K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Kumba
2 km around Kumba
Air quality now
AQI 59
26.8%
tree cover
10.1K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Nkongsamba
2 km around Nkongsamba
Air quality now
AQI 128
51.9%
tree cover
Healthy tree cover
Across the country
How clean is the air across Cameroon today?
19% of the 16 measured cities are over AQI 100 today, where the air stops being fine for sensitive groups, and 6% have Good air. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
16 measured cities
- Good1 (6%)
- Moderate12 (75%)
- Unhealthy for sensitive groups2 (13%)
- Unhealthy1 (6%)
Every measured city, including model estimates where no ground station is near.
In aggregate
Cameroon 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 16 of 16 cities measured so far in Cameroon.
- Average air quality
- AQI 80Mean of the latest reading per city
- Average tree cover
- 29.3%9 of 16 below their target
- Trees counted
- 1.5MAcross every measured area
- More trees needed
- 440KTo bring each area to its target
Worst air quality right now
Cleanest air right now
Greenest cities in Cameroon
Least tree cover in Cameroon
Excludes barren and desert sites
Against everywhere else
How does Cameroon compare with other countries?
Right now the cities of Cameroon average cleaner air than 15% of the 171 countries Airleaf has enough cities to average, and more tree cover than 65%.
Cleaner air than…
- Cameroon
- Beats 15%
More tree cover than…
- Cameroon
- Beats 65%
See the most polluted and cleanest air rankings for every country.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Cameroon lost?
Since 2001, Cameroon has lost about 2.43 million hectares of forest (about 24,000 km²): 7.7% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was shifting farming (49%), after which forest can grow back. About 1.06 million hectares (44%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 2.43 million haabout 24,000 km²
- Share of its forest
- 7.7%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 1.06 million 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 | 20,700 ha | 18,600 ha | 39,200 ha |
| 2002 | 14,300 ha | 14,500 ha | 28,800 ha |
| 2003 | 12,200 ha | 13,200 ha | 25,400 ha |
| 2004 | 12,300 ha | 10,600 ha | 23,000 ha |
| 2005 | 12,300 ha | 12,700 ha | 25,000 ha |
| 2006 | 19,100 ha | 16,900 ha | 36,000 ha |
| 2007 | 26,700 ha | 19,200 ha | 45,900 ha |
| 2008 | 17,900 ha | 17,000 ha | 34,900 ha |
| 2009 | 15,100 ha | 20,800 ha | 35,900 ha |
| 2010 | 38,800 ha | 19,200 ha | 58,000 ha |
| 2011 | 16,600 ha | 11,100 ha | 27,700 ha |
| 2012 | 28,100 ha | 23,200 ha | 51,300 ha |
| 2013 | 38,600 ha | 46,200 ha | 84,800 ha |
| 2014 | 68,100 ha | 114,000 ha | 182,000 ha |
| 2015 | 36,300 ha | 42,800 ha | 79,100 ha |
| 2016 | 46,400 ha | 70,400 ha | 117,000 ha |
| 2017 | 89,500 ha | 98,200 ha | 188,000 ha |
| 2018 | 52,200 ha | 68,900 ha | 121,000 ha |
| 2019 | 50,600 ha | 71,300 ha | 122,000 ha |
| 2020 | 61,300 ha | 142,000 ha | 203,000 ha |
| 2021 | 75,800 ha | 93,300 ha | 169,000 ha |
| 2022 | 64,400 ha | 83,400 ha | 148,000 ha |
| 2023 | 92,000 ha | 112,000 ha | 204,000 ha |
| 2024 | 69,800 ha | 109,000 ha | 179,000 ha |
| 2025 | 82,300 ha | 124,000 ha | 206,000 ha |
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 181,000 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 150,000 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2025, when about 206,000 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in Cameroon?
- Shifting farmingcan grow back49% · 1.19 million ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good40% · 980,000 ha
- Loggingcan grow back5.8% · 140,000 ha
Also: towns and roads, mining and energy, 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
Cameroon as a whole
40.7% of Cameroon was forested as of 2024, against a 30% benchmark. That already clears the benchmark — the city reports above show where cover is still thin locally. Source: World Bank (FAO).
Full directory
Every city we track in Cameroon
16 cities, A–Z
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Clean-air buying guides
Cleaner air at home in Cameroon
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 Cameroon: your questions answered
What is the air quality in Cameroon today?
Right now the 16 cities Airleaf measures in Cameroon average AQI 80 (moderate). The worst air is in Bafoussam, at AQI 151, and the cleanest in Edéa, at AQI 47. 19% of the 16 measured cities are over AQI 100 today, where the air stops being fine for sensitive groups, and 6% have Good air.
Which city in Cameroon has the worst air right now?
Bafoussam, at AQI 151 (Unhealthy) on the US EPA index. Everyone should limit long outdoor exertion; sensitive groups more so.
Which city in Cameroon has the cleanest air right now?
Edéa, at AQI 47 (Good). Both lists rank current readings, from ground stations wherever Cameroon has at least three cities with one.
Is the air in Cameroon safe to breathe today?
It depends on the city. 1 city is Good, 12 cities are Moderate, 2 cities are Unhealthy for sensitive groups, 1 city is Unhealthy. At the national average of AQI 80: Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
How much forest has Cameroon lost since 2001?
About 2.43 million ha from 2001 to 2025, 8% of the forest it had in 2000, from the University of Maryland's yearly satellite maps of forest loss. 1.06 million ha of it was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
Which city in Cameroon has the most trees?
Edéa, with 57.6% tree cover within 2 km of its center, measured from Sentinel-2 satellite images.
How does Airleaf measure air quality in Cameroon?
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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