Maseru
2 km around Maseru
Air quality now
AQI 28
15.8%
tree cover
44.6K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Africa · air quality report · 5 cities
Lesotho air quality today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now the 5 cities Airleaf measures in Lesotho average AQI 23 (good). The worst air is in Maputsoe, at AQI 34, and the cleanest in Mafeteng, at AQI 13.
None of the 5 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 100% have Good air.
Average right now
AQI 23
Good
US EPA index, across 5 cities
- cities measured
- 5
- worst air: Maputsoe
- 34
- cleanest air: Mafeteng
- 13
- average tree cover
- 12.6%
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Lesotho · average AQI 23
Air quality right now in all 5 cities in Lesotho
Good
Maputsoe
2 km around Maputsoe
Air quality now
AQI 34
11.4%
tree cover
58.4K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Mohale's Hoek
2 km around Mohale's Hoek
Air quality now
AQI 18
22.1%
tree cover
24.8K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Mafeteng
2 km around Mafeteng
Air quality now
AQI 13
4.0%
tree cover
80.8K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Butha-Buthe
2 km around Butha-Buthe
Air quality now
AQI 22
9.9%
tree cover
63.0K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Across the country
How clean is the air across Lesotho today?
None of the 5 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 100% have Good air. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
5 measured cities
- Good5 (100%)
Every measured city, including model estimates where no ground station is near.
Against everywhere else
How does Lesotho compare with other countries?
Right now the cities of Lesotho average cleaner air than 93% of the 171 countries Airleaf has enough cities to average, and more tree cover than 24%.
Cleaner air than…
- Lesotho
- Beats 93%
More tree cover than…
- Lesotho
- Beats 24%
See the most polluted and cleanest air rankings for every country.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Lesotho lost?
Since 2001, Lesotho has lost about 154 hectares of forest (about 220 football pitches): 2.5% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was logging (35%), after which forest can grow back. About 57 hectares (37%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 154 haabout 220 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 2.5%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 57 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2002 | 2 ha | 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 3 ha |
| 2004 | 2 ha | 3 ha | 4 ha |
| 2005 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2006 | 2 ha | 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2007 | 1 ha | 2 ha | 3 ha |
| 2008 | 4 ha | 2 ha | 6 ha |
| 2009 | 1 ha | 2 ha | 3 ha |
| 2010 | 2 ha | 2 ha | 4 ha |
| 2011 | 1 ha | 2 ha | 3 ha |
| 2012 | 2 ha | 2 ha | 4 ha |
| 2013 | 4 ha | 4 ha | 8 ha |
| 2014 | 4 ha | 8 ha | 13 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2016 | 6 ha | 10 ha | 16 ha |
| 2017 | 5 ha | 4 ha | 8 ha |
| 2018 | 3 ha | 7 ha | 10 ha |
| 2019 | 3 ha | 9 ha | 12 ha |
| 2020 | 5 ha | 13 ha | 18 ha |
| 2021 | 4 ha | 13 ha | 17 ha |
| 2022 | 1 ha | 3 ha | 4 ha |
| 2023 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2025 | 2 ha | 4 ha | 6 ha |
The worst year was 2020, when about 18 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in Lesotho?
- Loggingcan grow back35% · 53 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good33% · 51 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good4% · 6 ha
Also: wildfires, 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
Lesotho as a whole
1.1% of Lesotho was forested as of 2024, against a 30% benchmark. Closing that gap nationally would take roughly 876.3M trees across 876K hectares. Source: World Bank (FAO).
Build your own
Compare Lesotho with another country
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Lesotho
Clean-air buying guides
Cleaner air at home in Lesotho
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
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- 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 Lesotho: your questions answered
What is the air quality in Lesotho today?
Right now the 5 cities Airleaf measures in Lesotho average AQI 23 (good). The worst air is in Maputsoe, at AQI 34, and the cleanest in Mafeteng, at AQI 13. None of the 5 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 100% have Good air.
Which city in Lesotho has the worst air right now?
Maputsoe, at AQI 34 (Good) on the US EPA index. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Which city in Lesotho has the cleanest air right now?
Mafeteng, at AQI 13 (Good). Both lists rank current readings, from ground stations wherever Lesotho has at least three cities with one.
Is the air in Lesotho safe to breathe today?
It depends on the city. 5 cities are Good. At the national average of AQI 23: Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
How much forest has Lesotho lost since 2001?
About 154 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. 57 ha of it was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
How does Airleaf measure air quality in Lesotho?
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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