Tripoli
2 km around Tripoli
Air quality now
AQI 47
3.1%
tree cover
74.2K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Africa · air quality report · 17 cities
Libya air quality today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now the 17 cities Airleaf measures in Libya average AQI 38 (good). The worst air is in Sabha, at AQI 54, and the cleanest in Sirte, at AQI 26.
None of the 17 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 88% have Good air.
Average right now
AQI 38
Good
US EPA index, across 17 cities
- cities measured
- 17
- worst air: Sabha
- 54
- cleanest air: Sirte
- 26
- average tree cover
- 2.2%
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Libya · average AQI 38
Air quality right now in the 8 largest cities in Libya
Good
Benghazi
2 km around المدينة القديمة
Air quality now
AQI 42
0.9%
tree cover
69.1K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Misratah
2 km around Misrata
Air quality now
AQI 38
1.7%
tree cover
88.9K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Zliten
2 km around Zliten
Air quality now
AQI 36
2.6%
tree cover
86.1K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Al Khums
2 km around Khoms
Air quality now
AQI 36
1.6%
tree cover
71.0K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Az Zāwīyah
2 km around Az-Zāwiyah
Air quality now
AQI 52
4.2%
tree cover
81.1K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Janzūr
2 km around Janzur
Air quality now
AQI 31
2.5%
tree cover
86.4K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Sabha
2 km around Sabhā
Air quality now
AQI 54
0.6%
tree cover
92.4K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Across the country
How clean is the air across Libya today?
None of the 17 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 88% have Good air. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
17 measured cities
- Good15 (88%)
- Moderate2 (12%)
Every measured city, including model estimates where no ground station is near.
In aggregate
Libya 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 17 of 17 cities measured so far in Libya.
- Average air quality
- AQI 38Mean of the latest reading per city
- Average tree cover
- 2.2%17 of 17 below their target
- Trees counted
- 109KAcross every measured area
- More trees needed
- 1.4MTo bring each area to its target
Worst air quality right now
Cleanest air right now
Greenest cities in Libya
Least tree cover in Libya
Excludes barren and desert sites
Against everywhere else
How does Libya compare with other countries?
Right now the cities of Libya average cleaner air than 74% of the 171 countries Airleaf has enough cities to average, and more tree cover than 3%.
Cleaner air than…
- Libya
- Beats 74%
More tree cover than…
- Libya
- Beats 3%
See the most polluted and cleanest air rankings for every country.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Libya lost?
Since 2001, Libya has lost about 388 hectares of forest (about 540 football pitches): 5.7% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (52%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 388 haabout 540 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 5.7%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 200 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 | 5 ha | 12 ha | 17 ha |
| 2002 | 9 ha | 31 ha | 40 ha |
| 2003 | 12 ha | 14 ha | 25 ha |
| 2004 | 4 ha | 6 ha | 10 ha |
| 2005 | 6 ha | 15 ha | 22 ha |
| 2006 | 12 ha | 4 ha | 16 ha |
| 2007 | 2 ha | 3 ha | 4 ha |
| 2008 | 3 ha | 3 ha | 6 ha |
| 2009 | 3 ha | 3 ha | 6 ha |
| 2010 | 8 ha | 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2011 | 5 ha | 4 ha | 8 ha |
| 2012 | 3 ha | 2 ha | 5 ha |
| 2013 | 6 ha | 75 ha | 82 ha |
| 2014 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2017 | 8 ha | 3 ha | 11 ha |
| 2018 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2019 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2023 | 65 ha | 3 ha | 68 ha |
| 2024 | 38 ha | 3 ha | 41 ha |
| 2025 | 3 ha | 4 ha | 7 ha |
The worst year was 2013, when about 82 hectares of forest were lost, mostly to wildfires.
What is causing deforestation in Libya?
- Wildfirescan grow back39% · 152 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good30% · 117 ha
- Mining and energycleared for good19% · 75 ha
Also: towns and roads, logging, 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
Libya as a whole
0.1% of Libya was forested as of 2024, against a 30% benchmark. Closing that gap nationally would take roughly 52.6B trees across 52.6M hectares. Source: World Bank (FAO).
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Clean-air buying guides
Cleaner air at home in Libya
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 Libya: your questions answered
What is the air quality in Libya today?
Right now the 17 cities Airleaf measures in Libya average AQI 38 (good). The worst air is in Sabha, at AQI 54, and the cleanest in Sirte, at AQI 26. None of the 17 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 88% have Good air.
Which city in Libya has the worst air right now?
Sabha, at AQI 54 (Moderate) on the US EPA index. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Which city in Libya has the cleanest air right now?
Sirte, at AQI 26 (Good). Both lists rank current readings, from ground stations wherever Libya has at least three cities with one.
Is the air in Libya safe to breathe today?
It depends on the city. 15 cities are Good, 2 cities are Moderate. At the national average of AQI 38: Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
How much forest has Libya lost since 2001?
About 388 ha from 2001 to 2025, 6% of the forest it had in 2000, from the University of Maryland's yearly satellite maps of forest loss. 200 ha of it was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
Which city in Libya has the most trees?
Qaşr Bin Ghashīr, with 6.7% tree cover within 2 km of its center, measured from Sentinel-2 satellite images.
How does Airleaf measure air quality in Libya?
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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