Lilongwe
2 km around Area 40
Air quality now
AQI 91
35.4%
tree cover
Healthy tree cover
Africa · air quality report · 5 cities
Malawi air quality today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now the 5 cities Airleaf measures in Malawi average AQI 101 (unhealthy for sensitive groups). The worst air is in Karonga, at AQI 144, and the cleanest in Blantyre, at AQI 74.
At ground stations alone, which measure rather than estimate, the average is AQI 101 across 5 cities. 40% of the 5 measured cities are over AQI 100 today, where the air stops being fine for sensitive groups.
Average right now
AQI 101
Unhealthy for sensitive groups
US EPA index, across 5 cities
- cities measured
- 5
- worst air: Karonga
- 144
- cleanest air: Blantyre
- 74
- average tree cover
- 26.6%
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Malawi · average AQI 101
Air quality right now in all 5 cities in Malawi
Moderate
Blantyre
2 km around Kabula
Air quality now
AQI 74
29.7%
tree cover
942 more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Mzuzu
2 km around Mzuzu
Air quality now
AQI 119
19.0%
tree cover
50.3K more trees would reach 35% tree cover
Zomba
2 km around Mapale
Air quality now
AQI 77
34.6%
tree cover
Healthy tree cover
Karonga
2 km around Karonga
Air quality now
AQI 144
14.3%
tree cover
59.9K more trees would reach 35% tree cover
Across the country
How clean is the air across Malawi today?
40% of the 5 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.
5 measured cities
- Moderate3 (60%)
- Unhealthy for sensitive groups2 (40%)
Every measured city, including model estimates where no ground station is near.
Against everywhere else
How does Malawi compare with other countries?
Right now the cities of Malawi average cleaner air than 4% of the 171 countries Airleaf has enough cities to average, and more tree cover than 58%.
Cleaner air than…
- Malawi
- Beats 4%
More tree cover than…
- Malawi
- Beats 58%
See the most polluted and cleanest air rankings for every country.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Malawi lost?
Since 2001, Malawi has lost about 288,000 hectares of forest (about 2,900 km²): 18% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (66%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 288,000 haabout 2,900 km²
- Share of its forest
- 18%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 190,000 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 | 2,040 ha | 505 ha | 2,550 ha |
| 2002 | 3,260 ha | 1,040 ha | 4,290 ha |
| 2003 | 5,740 ha | 1,520 ha | 7,260 ha |
| 2004 | 4,090 ha | 1,740 ha | 5,830 ha |
| 2005 | 7,730 ha | 1,830 ha | 9,560 ha |
| 2006 | 4,390 ha | 1,300 ha | 5,700 ha |
| 2007 | 5,610 ha | 2,060 ha | 7,670 ha |
| 2008 | 7,730 ha | 2,270 ha | 10,000 ha |
| 2009 | 3,240 ha | 982 ha | 4,220 ha |
| 2010 | 3,240 ha | 802 ha | 4,040 ha |
| 2011 | 6,240 ha | 2,270 ha | 8,500 ha |
| 2012 | 8,720 ha | 3,660 ha | 12,400 ha |
| 2013 | 6,070 ha | 4,700 ha | 10,800 ha |
| 2014 | 11,200 ha | 7,560 ha | 18,800 ha |
| 2015 | 5,940 ha | 5,060 ha | 11,000 ha |
| 2016 | 7,970 ha | 5,880 ha | 13,900 ha |
| 2017 | 9,800 ha | 6,040 ha | 15,800 ha |
| 2018 | 8,260 ha | 7,300 ha | 15,600 ha |
| 2019 | 7,210 ha | 5,210 ha | 12,400 ha |
| 2020 | 10,100 ha | 6,260 ha | 16,300 ha |
| 2021 | 10,600 ha | 6,420 ha | 17,000 ha |
| 2022 | 10,100 ha | 5,160 ha | 15,200 ha |
| 2023 | 16,500 ha | 6,930 ha | 23,400 ha |
| 2024 | 11,600 ha | 5,840 ha | 17,400 ha |
| 2025 | 12,300 ha | 6,070 ha | 18,400 ha |
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 18,300 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 14,800 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2023, when about 23,400 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in Malawi?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good65% · 188,000 ha
- Shifting farmingcan grow back22% · 62,500 ha
- Loggingcan grow back11% · 30,900 ha
Also: wildfires, mining and energy, storms, floods and other natural causes, towns and roads, 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
Malawi as a whole
22.0% of Malawi was forested as of 2024, against a 30% benchmark. Closing that gap nationally would take roughly 754.7M trees across 755K hectares. Source: World Bank (FAO).
Build your own
Compare Malawi with another country
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Malawi
Clean-air buying guides
Cleaner air at home in Malawi
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 Malawi: your questions answered
What is the air quality in Malawi today?
Right now the 5 cities Airleaf measures in Malawi average AQI 101 (unhealthy for sensitive groups). The worst air is in Karonga, at AQI 144, and the cleanest in Blantyre, at AQI 74. At ground stations alone, which measure rather than estimate, the average is AQI 101 across 5 cities. 40% of the 5 measured cities are over AQI 100 today, where the air stops being fine for sensitive groups.
Which city in Malawi has the worst air right now?
Karonga, at AQI 144 (Unhealthy for sensitive groups) on the US EPA index. Sensitive groups should limit long or intense outdoor activity.
Which city in Malawi has the cleanest air right now?
Blantyre, at AQI 74 (Moderate). Both lists rank current readings, from ground stations wherever Malawi has at least three cities with one.
Is the air in Malawi safe to breathe today?
It depends on the city. 3 cities are Moderate, 2 cities are Unhealthy for sensitive groups. At the national average of AQI 101: Sensitive groups should limit long or intense outdoor activity.
How much forest has Malawi lost since 2001?
About 288,000 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. 190,000 ha of it was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
How does Airleaf measure air quality in Malawi?
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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