Bangui
2 km around Yapele I
Air quality now
AQI 65
25.8%
tree cover
12.2K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Africa · air quality report · 7 cities
Central African Republic air quality today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now the 7 cities Airleaf measures in the Central African Republic average AQI 72 (moderate). The worst air is in Carnot, at AQI 84, and the cleanest in Bégoua, at AQI 55.
None of the 7 measured cities is over AQI 100 today.
Average right now
AQI 72
Moderate
US EPA index, across 7 cities
- cities measured
- 7
- worst air: Carnot
- 84
- cleanest air: Bégoua
- 55
- average tree cover
- 46.6%
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Central African Republic · average AQI 72
Air quality right now in all 7 cities in the Central African Republic
Moderate
Carnot
2 km around Carnot
Air quality now
AQI 84
65.2%
tree cover
Healthy tree cover
Berbérati
2 km around Berbérati
Air quality now
AQI 74
62.4%
tree cover
Healthy tree cover
Bambari
2 km around Bambari
Air quality now
AQI 73
46.2%
tree cover
Healthy tree cover
Bouar
2 km around Bouar
Air quality now
AQI 69
23.7%
tree cover
19.8K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Bimbo
2 km around Bimbo
Air quality now
AQI 84
61.1%
tree cover
Healthy tree cover
Bégoua
2 km around PK12
Air quality now
AQI 55
42.1%
tree cover
Healthy tree cover
Across the country
How clean is the air across the Central African Republic today?
None of the 7 measured cities is over AQI 100 today. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
7 measured cities
- Moderate7 (100%)
Every measured city, including model estimates where no ground station is near.
Against everywhere else
How does the Central African Republic compare with other countries?
Right now the cities of the Central African Republic average cleaner air than 22% of the 171 countries Airleaf has enough cities to average, and more tree cover than 96%.
Cleaner air than…
- Central African Republic
- Beats 22%
More tree cover than…
- Central African Republic
- Beats 96%
See the most polluted and cleanest air rankings for every country.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has the Central African Republic lost?
Since 2001, the Central African Republic has lost about 1.16 million hectares of forest (about 12,000 km²): 2.5% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (55%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1.16 million haabout 12,000 km²
- Share of its forest
- 2.5%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 635,000 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 | 16,200 ha | 15,200 ha | 31,400 ha |
| 2002 | 18,600 ha | 16,000 ha | 34,600 ha |
| 2003 | 6,070 ha | 7,660 ha | 13,700 ha |
| 2004 | 7,120 ha | 7,500 ha | 14,600 ha |
| 2005 | 17,900 ha | 11,600 ha | 29,600 ha |
| 2006 | 37,800 ha | 20,400 ha | 58,200 ha |
| 2007 | 22,800 ha | 14,700 ha | 37,500 ha |
| 2008 | 20,700 ha | 11,400 ha | 32,200 ha |
| 2009 | 27,900 ha | 20,800 ha | 48,700 ha |
| 2010 | 30,100 ha | 18,600 ha | 48,700 ha |
| 2011 | 30,300 ha | 19,100 ha | 49,400 ha |
| 2012 | 34,700 ha | 22,900 ha | 57,600 ha |
| 2013 | 24,300 ha | 20,200 ha | 44,500 ha |
| 2014 | 34,800 ha | 23,400 ha | 58,300 ha |
| 2015 | 16,600 ha | 11,000 ha | 27,600 ha |
| 2016 | 19,900 ha | 31,900 ha | 51,700 ha |
| 2017 | 34,600 ha | 30,000 ha | 64,600 ha |
| 2018 | 24,000 ha | 17,200 ha | 41,300 ha |
| 2019 | 27,100 ha | 22,600 ha | 49,700 ha |
| 2020 | 28,300 ha | 27,500 ha | 55,700 ha |
| 2021 | 31,200 ha | 36,600 ha | 67,800 ha |
| 2022 | 27,300 ha | 24,400 ha | 51,700 ha |
| 2023 | 27,700 ha | 27,600 ha | 55,400 ha |
| 2024 | 35,000 ha | 26,700 ha | 61,700 ha |
| 2025 | 33,900 ha | 41,200 ha | 75,100 ha |
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 62,400 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 52,600 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2025, when about 75,100 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in the Central African Republic?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good54% · 622,000 ha
- Shifting farmingcan grow back39% · 456,000 ha
- Wildfirescan grow back1.7% · 19,200 ha
Also: logging, mining and energy, towns and roads, 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
Central African Republic as a whole
72.5% of the Central African Republic 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).
Build your own
Compare Central African Republic with another country
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Central African Republic
Clean-air buying guides
Cleaner air at home in the Central African Republic
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 the Central African Republic: your questions answered
What is the air quality in the Central African Republic today?
Right now the 7 cities Airleaf measures in the Central African Republic average AQI 72 (moderate). The worst air is in Carnot, at AQI 84, and the cleanest in Bégoua, at AQI 55. None of the 7 measured cities is over AQI 100 today.
Which city in the Central African Republic has the worst air right now?
Carnot, at AQI 84 (Moderate) on the US EPA index. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Which city in the Central African Republic has the cleanest air right now?
Bégoua, at AQI 55 (Moderate). Both lists rank current readings, from ground stations wherever the Central African Republic has at least three cities with one.
Is the air in the Central African Republic safe to breathe today?
It depends on the city. 7 cities are Moderate. At the national average of AQI 72: Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
How much forest has the Central African Republic lost since 2001?
About 1.16 million ha from 2001 to 2025, 2% of the forest it had in 2000, from the University of Maryland's yearly satellite maps of forest loss. 635,000 ha of it was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
How does Airleaf measure air quality in the Central African Republic?
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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