Port Moresby
2 km around Port Moresby
Air quality now
AQI 27
21.7%
tree cover
8.8K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Oceania · air quality report · 5 cities
Papua New Guinea air quality today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now the 5 cities Airleaf measures in Papua New Guinea average AQI 23 (good). The worst air is in Popondetta, at AQI 42, and the cleanest in Arawa, at AQI 6.
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: Popondetta
- 42
- cleanest air: Arawa
- 6
- average tree cover
- 49.9%
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Papua New Guinea · average AQI 23
Air quality right now in all 5 cities in Papua New Guinea
Good
Lae
2 km around Lae Morobe Province
Air quality now
AQI 15
36.3%
tree cover
Healthy tree cover
Arawa
2 km around Arawa AROB
Air quality now
AQI 6
76.8%
tree cover
Healthy tree cover
Mount Hagen
2 km around Mount Hagen Western Highlands Province
Air quality now
AQI 26
52.8%
tree cover
Healthy tree cover
Popondetta
2 km around Popondetta Northern Province
Air quality now
AQI 42
61.8%
tree cover
Healthy tree cover
Across the country
How clean is the air across Papua New Guinea 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 Papua New Guinea compare with other countries?
Right now the cities of Papua New Guinea average cleaner air than 94% of the 171 countries Airleaf has enough cities to average, and more tree cover than 97%.
Cleaner air than…
- Papua New Guinea
- Beats 94%
More tree cover than…
- Papua New Guinea
- Beats 97%
See the most polluted and cleanest air rankings for every country.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Papua New Guinea lost?
Since 2001, Papua New Guinea has lost about 1.99 million hectares of forest (about 20,000 km²): 4.6% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was shifting farming (43%), after which forest can grow back. About 264,000 hectares (13%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1.99 million haabout 20,000 km²
- Share of its forest
- 4.6%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 264,000 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 | 5,780 ha | 29,600 ha | 35,400 ha |
| 2002 | 8,570 ha | 45,000 ha | 53,600 ha |
| 2003 | 5,320 ha | 25,700 ha | 31,000 ha |
| 2004 | 10,100 ha | 47,400 ha | 57,400 ha |
| 2005 | 5,570 ha | 32,800 ha | 38,400 ha |
| 2006 | 9,660 ha | 45,600 ha | 55,300 ha |
| 2007 | 7,530 ha | 40,900 ha | 48,400 ha |
| 2008 | 9,780 ha | 60,000 ha | 69,800 ha |
| 2009 | 7,020 ha | 41,300 ha | 48,300 ha |
| 2010 | 10,800 ha | 56,200 ha | 67,000 ha |
| 2011 | 10,000 ha | 41,600 ha | 51,700 ha |
| 2012 | 16,500 ha | 55,600 ha | 72,100 ha |
| 2013 | 13,800 ha | 41,700 ha | 55,500 ha |
| 2014 | 21,000 ha | 82,500 ha | 104,000 ha |
| 2015 | 24,900 ha | 150,000 ha | 175,000 ha |
| 2016 | 20,200 ha | 156,000 ha | 176,000 ha |
| 2017 | 13,600 ha | 102,000 ha | 116,000 ha |
| 2018 | 10,900 ha | 105,000 ha | 116,000 ha |
| 2019 | 8,180 ha | 85,500 ha | 93,700 ha |
| 2020 | 6,140 ha | 70,900 ha | 77,100 ha |
| 2021 | 6,470 ha | 68,800 ha | 75,200 ha |
| 2022 | 14,800 ha | 123,000 ha | 138,000 ha |
| 2023 | 6,700 ha | 75,400 ha | 82,000 ha |
| 2024 | 5,480 ha | 75,200 ha | 80,700 ha |
| 2025 | 4,680 ha | 64,600 ha | 69,200 ha |
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 89,000 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 116,000 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2016, when about 176,000 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in Papua New Guinea?
- Shifting farmingcan grow back43% · 858,000 ha
- Loggingcan grow back27% · 540,000 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good13% · 253,000 ha
Also: storms, floods and other natural causes, wildfires, towns and roads, 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
Papua New Guinea as a whole
75.2% of Papua New Guinea 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).
Build your own
Compare Papua New Guinea with another country
This place
Papua New Guinea
Clean-air buying guides
Cleaner air at home in Papua New Guinea
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 Papua New Guinea: your questions answered
What is the air quality in Papua New Guinea today?
Right now the 5 cities Airleaf measures in Papua New Guinea average AQI 23 (good). The worst air is in Popondetta, at AQI 42, and the cleanest in Arawa, at AQI 6. None of the 5 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 100% have Good air.
Which city in Papua New Guinea has the worst air right now?
Popondetta, at AQI 42 (Good) on the US EPA index. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Which city in Papua New Guinea has the cleanest air right now?
Arawa, at AQI 6 (Good). Both lists rank current readings, from ground stations wherever Papua New Guinea has at least three cities with one.
Is the air in Papua New Guinea 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 Papua New Guinea lost since 2001?
About 1.99 million ha from 2001 to 2025, 5% of the forest it had in 2000, from the University of Maryland's yearly satellite maps of forest loss. 264,000 ha of it was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
How does Airleaf measure air quality in Papua New Guinea?
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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