Mbabane
2 km around Mbabane
Air quality now
AQI 64
40.3%
tree cover
Healthy tree cover
Africa · air quality report · 2 cities
Eswatini air quality today The AQI right now, city by city
Airleaf measures 2 cities in Eswatini. Mbabane reads AQI 64, Manzini reads AQI 64 right now.
- cities measured
- 2
- worst air: Mbabane
- 64
- cleanest air: Manzini
- 64
- national forest cover
- 25.3%
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Eswatini
Air quality right now in all 2 cities in Eswatini
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Eswatini lost?
Since 2001, Eswatini has lost about 114,000 hectares of forest (about 160,000 football pitches): 25% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 9,960 hectares (8.7%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 114,000 haabout 160,000 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 25%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 9,960 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 | 328 ha | 6,590 ha | 6,910 ha |
| 2002 | 214 ha | 3,660 ha | 3,880 ha |
| 2003 | 247 ha | 5,670 ha | 5,920 ha |
| 2004 | 264 ha | 5,170 ha | 5,430 ha |
| 2005 | 124 ha | 4,700 ha | 4,820 ha |
| 2006 | 840 ha | 8,700 ha | 9,540 ha |
| 2007 | 249 ha | 6,220 ha | 6,470 ha |
| 2008 | 255 ha | 4,420 ha | 4,670 ha |
| 2009 | 259 ha | 10,700 ha | 11,000 ha |
| 2010 | 816 ha | 5,920 ha | 6,740 ha |
| 2011 | 423 ha | 2,330 ha | 2,750 ha |
| 2012 | 213 ha | 3,420 ha | 3,630 ha |
| 2013 | 329 ha | 2,910 ha | 3,240 ha |
| 2014 | 542 ha | 4,130 ha | 4,670 ha |
| 2015 | 422 ha | 2,910 ha | 3,340 ha |
| 2016 | 385 ha | 4,450 ha | 4,830 ha |
| 2017 | 854 ha | 5,530 ha | 6,380 ha |
| 2018 | 199 ha | 1,730 ha | 1,930 ha |
| 2019 | 520 ha | 3,630 ha | 4,150 ha |
| 2020 | 375 ha | 2,330 ha | 2,710 ha |
| 2021 | 740 ha | 2,420 ha | 3,160 ha |
| 2022 | 411 ha | 1,550 ha | 1,960 ha |
| 2023 | 307 ha | 1,740 ha | 2,050 ha |
| 2024 | 421 ha | 2,010 ha | 2,430 ha |
| 2025 | 220 ha | 1,420 ha | 1,640 ha |
Forest loss is slowing down: about 2,250 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 4,000 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2009, when about 11,000 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in Eswatini?
- Loggingcan grow back88% · 100,000 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good7.8% · 8,910 ha
- Wildfirescan grow back2.8% · 3,180 ha
Also: towns and roads, shifting farming, mining and energy, 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
Eswatini as a whole
25.3% of Eswatini was forested as of 2024, against a 30% benchmark. Closing that gap nationally would take roughly 81.4M trees across 81.4K hectares. Source: World Bank (FAO).
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Eswatini
Clean-air buying guides
Cleaner air at home in Eswatini
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 Eswatini: your questions answered
What is the air quality in Eswatini today?
Airleaf measures 2 cities in Eswatini. Mbabane reads AQI 64, Manzini reads AQI 64 right now.
How much forest has Eswatini lost since 2001?
About 114,000 ha from 2001 to 2025, 25% of the forest it had in 2000, from the University of Maryland's yearly satellite maps of forest loss. 9,960 ha of it was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
How does Airleaf measure air quality in Eswatini?
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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