Maputo
2 km around Central "A"
Air quality now
AQI 48
15.0%
tree cover
43.6K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Africa · air quality report · 17 cities
Mozambique air quality today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now the 17 cities Airleaf measures in Mozambique average AQI 44 (good). The worst air is in Lichinga, at AQI 81, and the cleanest in Maxixe, at AQI 23.
None of the 17 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 71% have Good air.
Average right now
AQI 44
Good
US EPA index, across 17 cities
- cities measured
- 17
- worst air: Lichinga
- 81
- cleanest air: Maxixe
- 23
- average tree cover
- 17.1%
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Mozambique · average AQI 44
Air quality right now in the 8 largest cities in Mozambique
Good
Nampula
2 km around Nampula
Air quality now
AQI 26
7.3%
tree cover
71.3K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Beira
2 km around Area da Baixa
Air quality now
AQI 27
7.6%
tree cover
32.6K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Chimoio
2 km around Chimoio
Air quality now
AQI 25
15.6%
tree cover
45.2K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Tete
2 km around Tete
Air quality now
AQI 75
12.2%
tree cover
43.0K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Matola
2 km around Matola
Air quality now
AQI 47
25.3%
tree cover
14.2K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Quelimane
2 km around Quelimane
Air quality now
AQI 43
21.1%
tree cover
21.3K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Lichinga
2 km around Lichinga
Air quality now
AQI 81
6.5%
tree cover
73.8K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Across the country
How clean is the air across Mozambique today?
None of the 17 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 71% have Good air. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
17 measured cities
- Good12 (71%)
- Moderate5 (29%)
Every measured city, including model estimates where no ground station is near.
In aggregate
Mozambique 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 Mozambique.
- Average air quality
- AQI 44Mean of the latest reading per city
- Average tree cover
- 17.1%14 of 17 below their target
- Trees counted
- 792KAcross every measured area
- More trees needed
- 622KTo bring each area to its target
Worst air quality right now
Cleanest air right now
Greenest cities in Mozambique
Least tree cover in Mozambique
Excludes barren and desert sites
Against everywhere else
How does Mozambique compare with other countries?
Right now the cities of Mozambique average cleaner air than 64% of the 171 countries Airleaf has enough cities to average, and more tree cover than 36%.
Cleaner air than…
- Mozambique
- Beats 64%
More tree cover than…
- Mozambique
- Beats 36%
See the most polluted and cleanest air rankings for every country.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Mozambique lost?
Since 2001, Mozambique has lost about 4.86 million hectares of forest (about 49,000 km²): 17% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (82%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 4.86 million haabout 49,000 km²
- Share of its forest
- 17%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 3.99 million 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 | 50,200 ha | 10,800 ha | 61,100 ha |
| 2002 | 87,300 ha | 19,600 ha | 107,000 ha |
| 2003 | 68,600 ha | 11,200 ha | 79,800 ha |
| 2004 | 94,200 ha | 14,000 ha | 108,000 ha |
| 2005 | 130,000 ha | 21,600 ha | 151,000 ha |
| 2006 | 148,000 ha | 25,400 ha | 173,000 ha |
| 2007 | 121,000 ha | 18,000 ha | 139,000 ha |
| 2008 | 164,000 ha | 40,400 ha | 205,000 ha |
| 2009 | 191,000 ha | 26,600 ha | 218,000 ha |
| 2010 | 171,000 ha | 23,700 ha | 195,000 ha |
| 2011 | 120,000 ha | 31,000 ha | 151,000 ha |
| 2012 | 118,000 ha | 22,400 ha | 141,000 ha |
| 2013 | 121,000 ha | 42,300 ha | 163,000 ha |
| 2014 | 156,000 ha | 45,300 ha | 201,000 ha |
| 2015 | 144,000 ha | 38,300 ha | 182,000 ha |
| 2016 | 199,000 ha | 52,300 ha | 251,000 ha |
| 2017 | 301,000 ha | 59,900 ha | 361,000 ha |
| 2018 | 145,000 ha | 27,700 ha | 173,000 ha |
| 2019 | 179,000 ha | 58,200 ha | 237,000 ha |
| 2020 | 197,000 ha | 36,300 ha | 233,000 ha |
| 2021 | 243,000 ha | 35,700 ha | 279,000 ha |
| 2022 | 202,000 ha | 36,400 ha | 239,000 ha |
| 2023 | 222,000 ha | 40,600 ha | 263,000 ha |
| 2024 | 229,000 ha | 70,400 ha | 300,000 ha |
| 2025 | 184,000 ha | 65,700 ha | 249,000 ha |
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 266,000 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 251,000 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2017, when about 361,000 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in Mozambique?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good82% · 3.97 million ha
- Shifting farmingcan grow back16% · 758,000 ha
Also: logging, wildfires, towns and roads, storms, floods and other natural causes, mining and energy, 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
Mozambique as a whole
41.3% of Mozambique was forested as of 2024, against a 30% benchmark. That already clears the benchmark — the city reports above show where cover is still thin locally. Source: World Bank (FAO).
Full directory
Every city we track in Mozambique
17 cities, A–Z
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Clean-air buying guides
Cleaner air at home in Mozambique
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.
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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 Mozambique: your questions answered
What is the air quality in Mozambique today?
Right now the 17 cities Airleaf measures in Mozambique average AQI 44 (good). The worst air is in Lichinga, at AQI 81, and the cleanest in Maxixe, at AQI 23. None of the 17 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 71% have Good air.
Which city in Mozambique has the worst air right now?
Lichinga, at AQI 81 (Moderate) on the US EPA index. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Which city in Mozambique has the cleanest air right now?
Maxixe, at AQI 23 (Good). Both lists rank current readings, from ground stations wherever Mozambique has at least three cities with one.
Is the air in Mozambique safe to breathe today?
It depends on the city. 12 cities are Good, 5 cities are Moderate. At the national average of AQI 44: Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
How much forest has Mozambique lost since 2001?
About 4.86 million ha from 2001 to 2025, 17% of the forest it had in 2000, from the University of Maryland's yearly satellite maps of forest loss. 3.99 million ha of it was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
Which city in Mozambique has the most trees?
Gurúè, with 36.2% tree cover within 2 km of its center, measured from Sentinel-2 satellite images.
How does Airleaf measure air quality in Mozambique?
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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