Nouakchott
2 km around La Capitale
Air quality now
AQI 61
4.7%
tree cover
79.5K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Africa · air quality report · 5 cities
Mauritania air quality today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now the 5 cities Airleaf measures in Mauritania average AQI 63 (moderate). The worst air is in Mbera, at AQI 70, and the cleanest in Nouadhibou, at AQI 56.
None of the 5 measured cities is over AQI 100 today.
Average right now
AQI 63
Moderate
US EPA index, across 5 cities
- cities measured
- 5
- worst air: Mbera
- 70
- cleanest air: Nouadhibou
- 56
- average tree cover
- 1.8%
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Mauritania · average AQI 63
Air quality right now in all 5 cities in Mauritania
Moderate
Nouadhibou
2 km around Nouadhibou
Air quality now
AQI 56
0.3%
tree cover
87.2K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Kiffa
2 km around Kiffa
Air quality now
AQI 63
2.5%
tree cover
86.4K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Néma
2 km around Néma
Air quality now
AQI 64
0.2%
tree cover
93.6K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Mbera
2 km around Bassiknou
Air quality now
AQI 70
1.2%
tree cover
90.5K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Across the country
How clean is the air across Mauritania today?
None of the 5 measured cities is over AQI 100 today. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
5 measured cities
- Moderate5 (100%)
Every measured city, including model estimates where no ground station is near.
Against everywhere else
How does Mauritania compare with other countries?
Right now the cities of Mauritania average cleaner air than 34% of the 171 countries Airleaf has enough cities to average, and more tree cover than 2%.
Cleaner air than…
- Mauritania
- Beats 34%
More tree cover than…
- Mauritania
- Beats 2%
See the most polluted and cleanest air rankings for every country.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Mauritania lost?
There was very little forest in Mauritania in 2000, about 33 hectares, and about 33 hectares of it has been lost since. Only fairly dense woodland counts as forest in these maps, so scattered street and garden trees don't show up here.
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 31 ha | 1 ha | 32 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2005 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2017 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
The worst year was 2001, when about 32 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in Mauritania?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good92% · 31 ha
- Storms, floods and other natural causescan grow back3% · 1 ha
- Unknown causescause unknown4.2% · 1 ha
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
Mauritania as a whole
1.0% of Mauritania was forested as of 2024, against a 30% benchmark. Closing that gap nationally would take roughly 29.9B trees across 29.9M hectares. Source: World Bank (FAO).
Build your own
Compare Mauritania with another country
This place
Mauritania
Clean-air buying guides
Cleaner air at home in Mauritania
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 Mauritania: your questions answered
What is the air quality in Mauritania today?
Right now the 5 cities Airleaf measures in Mauritania average AQI 63 (moderate). The worst air is in Mbera, at AQI 70, and the cleanest in Nouadhibou, at AQI 56. None of the 5 measured cities is over AQI 100 today.
Which city in Mauritania has the worst air right now?
Mbera, at AQI 70 (Moderate) on the US EPA index. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Which city in Mauritania has the cleanest air right now?
Nouadhibou, at AQI 56 (Moderate). Both lists rank current readings, from ground stations wherever Mauritania has at least three cities with one.
Is the air in Mauritania safe to breathe today?
It depends on the city. 5 cities are Moderate. At the national average of AQI 63: Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
How much forest has Mauritania lost since 2001?
About 33 ha from 2001 to 2025, from the University of Maryland's yearly satellite maps of forest loss. 31 ha of it was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
How does Airleaf measure air quality in Mauritania?
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.
More of Africa
AlgeriaAngolaBeninBotswanaBurkina FasoBurundiCabo VerdeCameroonCentral African RepublicChadComorosDemocratic Republic of the CongoDjiboutiEgyptEquatorial GuineaEritreaEswatiniEthiopiaGabonGambiaGhanaGuineaGuinea-BissauIvory CoastKenyaLesothoLiberiaLibyaMadagascarMalawiMaliMauritiusMayotteMoroccoMozambiqueNamibiaNigerNigeriaRepublic of the CongoReunionRwandaSaint HelenaSao Tome and PrincipeSenegalSeychellesSierra LeoneSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth SudanSudanTanzaniaTogoTunisiaUgandaWestern SaharaZambiaZimbabwe
Your own street