Banjul
2 km around Jollof Town
Air quality now
AQI 165
24.7%
tree cover
16.3K more trees would reach 40% tree cover
Africa · air quality report · 6 cities
Gambia air quality today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now the 6 cities Airleaf measures in the Gambia average AQI 146 (unhealthy for sensitive groups). The worst air is in Serekunda, at AQI 179, and the cleanest in Gunjur, at AQI 119.
At ground stations alone, which measure rather than estimate, the average is AQI 154 across 3 cities. 83% of the 6 measured cities are over AQI 100 today, where the air stops being fine for sensitive groups.
Average right now
AQI 146
Unhealthy for sensitive groups
US EPA index, across 6 cities
- cities measured
- 6
- worst air: Serekunda
- 179
- cleanest air: Gunjur
- 119
- average tree cover
- 21.1%
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Gambia · average AQI 146
Air quality right now in all 6 cities in the Gambia
Unhealthy
Nema Kunku
2 km around Brikama
Air quality now
AQI 162
26.4%
tree cover
42.3K more trees would reach 40% tree cover
Farafenni
2 km around Farafenni
Air quality now
AQI 158
9.7%
tree cover
95.0K more trees would reach 40% tree cover
Gunjur
2 km around Sandally
Air quality now
AQI 119
40.5%
tree cover
Healthy tree cover
Farato
2 km around Basse Santa Su
Air quality now
AQI 91
10.4%
tree cover
61.6K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Serekunda
2 km around Serekunda
Air quality now
AQI 179
14.6%
tree cover
79.8K more trees would reach 40% tree cover
Across the country
How clean is the air across the Gambia today?
83% of the 6 measured cities are over AQI 100 today, where the air stops being fine for sensitive groups. Sensitive groups should limit long or intense outdoor activity.
6 measured cities
- Moderate1 (17%)
- Unhealthy for sensitive groups1 (17%)
- Unhealthy4 (67%)
Every measured city, including model estimates where no ground station is near.
Against everywhere else
How does the Gambia compare with other countries?
Right now the cities of the Gambia average cleaner air than 2% of the 171 countries Airleaf has enough cities to average, and more tree cover than 42%.
Cleaner air than…
- Gambia
- Beats 2%
More tree cover than…
- Gambia
- Beats 42%
See the most polluted and cleanest air rankings for every country.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has the Gambia lost?
Since 2001, the Gambia has lost about 793 hectares of forest (about 1,100 football pitches): 18% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (99%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 793 haabout 1,100 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 18%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 783 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 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2002 | 43 ha | 2 ha | 44 ha |
| 2003 | 11 ha | under 1 ha | 11 ha |
| 2004 | 65 ha | 2 ha | 67 ha |
| 2005 | 5 ha | 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2006 | 7 ha | under 1 ha | 7 ha |
| 2007 | 50 ha | under 1 ha | 51 ha |
| 2008 | 312 ha | 1 ha | 313 ha |
| 2009 | 9 ha | under 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2010 | 24 ha | under 1 ha | 24 ha |
| 2011 | 31 ha | under 1 ha | 31 ha |
| 2012 | 42 ha | under 1 ha | 42 ha |
| 2013 | 12 ha | under 1 ha | 12 ha |
| 2014 | 18 ha | under 1 ha | 18 ha |
| 2015 | 10 ha | under 1 ha | 10 ha |
| 2016 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2017 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2018 | 6 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2019 | 20 ha | under 1 ha | 20 ha |
| 2020 | 12 ha | under 1 ha | 12 ha |
| 2021 | 19 ha | under 1 ha | 19 ha |
| 2022 | 17 ha | under 1 ha | 17 ha |
| 2023 | 12 ha | under 1 ha | 12 ha |
| 2024 | 16 ha | under 1 ha | 16 ha |
| 2025 | 27 ha | under 1 ha | 28 ha |
The worst year was 2008, when about 313 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in the Gambia?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good87% · 688 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good12% · 94 ha
- Unknown causescause unknown1.2% · 10 ha
Also: mining and energy, storms, floods and other natural 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
Gambia as a whole
21.3% of the Gambia was forested as of 2024, against a 30% benchmark. Closing that gap nationally would take roughly 87.6M trees across 87.6K hectares. Source: World Bank (FAO).
Build your own
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Gambia
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Cleaner air at home in the Gambia
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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 the Gambia: your questions answered
What is the air quality in the Gambia today?
Right now the 6 cities Airleaf measures in the Gambia average AQI 146 (unhealthy for sensitive groups). The worst air is in Serekunda, at AQI 179, and the cleanest in Gunjur, at AQI 119. At ground stations alone, which measure rather than estimate, the average is AQI 154 across 3 cities. 83% of the 6 measured cities are over AQI 100 today, where the air stops being fine for sensitive groups.
Which city in the Gambia has the worst air right now?
Serekunda, at AQI 179 (Unhealthy) on the US EPA index. Everyone should limit long outdoor exertion; sensitive groups more so.
Which city in the Gambia has the cleanest air right now?
Gunjur, at AQI 119 (Unhealthy for sensitive groups). Both lists rank current readings, from ground stations wherever the Gambia has at least three cities with one.
Is the air in the Gambia safe to breathe today?
It depends on the city. 1 city is Moderate, 1 city is Unhealthy for sensitive groups, 4 cities are Unhealthy. At the national average of AQI 146: Sensitive groups should limit long or intense outdoor activity.
How much forest has the Gambia lost since 2001?
About 793 ha from 2001 to 2025, 18% of the forest it had in 2000, from the University of Maryland's yearly satellite maps of forest loss. 783 ha of it was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
How does Airleaf measure air quality in the Gambia?
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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