Brazzaville
2 km around Brazzaville
Air quality now
AQI 52
1.4%
tree cover
77.5K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Africa · air quality report · 5 cities
Republic of the Congo air quality today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now the 5 cities Airleaf measures in the Republic of the Congo average AQI 42 (good). The worst air is in Pointe-Noire, at AQI 65, and the cleanest in Dolisie, at AQI 12.
None of the 5 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 40% have Good air.
Average right now
AQI 42
Good
US EPA index, across 5 cities
- cities measured
- 5
- worst air: Pointe-Noire
- 65
- cleanest air: Dolisie
- 12
- average tree cover
- 20.1%
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Republic of the Congo · average AQI 42
Air quality right now in all 5 cities in the Republic of the Congo
Moderate
Pointe-Noire
2 km around Pointe-Noire
Air quality now
AQI 65
6.2%
tree cover
66.6K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Dolisie
2 km around Dolisie
Air quality now
AQI 12
16.6%
tree cover
42.1K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Nkayi
2 km around Nkayi
Air quality now
AQI 31
11.1%
tree cover
59.4K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Impfondo
2 km around Impfondo
Air quality now
AQI 51
65.4%
tree cover
Healthy tree cover
Across the country
How clean is the air across the Republic of the Congo today?
None of the 5 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 40% have Good air. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
5 measured cities
- Good2 (40%)
- Moderate3 (60%)
Every measured city, including model estimates where no ground station is near.
Against everywhere else
How does the Republic of the Congo compare with other countries?
Right now the cities of the Republic of the Congo average cleaner air than 68% of the 171 countries Airleaf has enough cities to average, and more tree cover than 41%.
Cleaner air than…
- Republic of the Congo
- Beats 68%
More tree cover than…
- Republic of the Congo
- Beats 41%
See the most polluted and cleanest air rankings for every country.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has the Republic of the Congo lost?
Since 2001, the Republic of the Congo has lost about 1.23 million hectares of forest (about 12,000 km²): 4.6% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to shifting farming, so much of it can grow back. About 147,000 hectares (12%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1.23 million haabout 12,000 km²
- Share of its forest
- 4.6%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 147,000 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 | 3,590 ha | 23,700 ha | 27,300 ha |
| 2002 | 4,920 ha | 19,500 ha | 24,400 ha |
| 2003 | 4,310 ha | 14,600 ha | 18,900 ha |
| 2004 | 2,150 ha | 11,700 ha | 13,800 ha |
| 2005 | 2,900 ha | 16,200 ha | 19,100 ha |
| 2006 | 3,400 ha | 19,100 ha | 22,500 ha |
| 2007 | 5,470 ha | 24,800 ha | 30,200 ha |
| 2008 | 4,670 ha | 13,200 ha | 17,900 ha |
| 2009 | 3,220 ha | 15,800 ha | 19,100 ha |
| 2010 | 9,150 ha | 35,900 ha | 45,000 ha |
| 2011 | 6,840 ha | 21,700 ha | 28,500 ha |
| 2012 | 6,260 ha | 26,200 ha | 32,500 ha |
| 2013 | 7,280 ha | 47,800 ha | 55,000 ha |
| 2014 | 8,530 ha | 65,800 ha | 74,400 ha |
| 2015 | 5,330 ha | 42,900 ha | 48,200 ha |
| 2016 | 8,660 ha | 107,000 ha | 115,000 ha |
| 2017 | 8,000 ha | 56,700 ha | 64,700 ha |
| 2018 | 7,170 ha | 55,900 ha | 63,100 ha |
| 2019 | 8,450 ha | 66,300 ha | 74,800 ha |
| 2020 | 7,800 ha | 57,600 ha | 65,400 ha |
| 2021 | 5,800 ha | 52,600 ha | 58,400 ha |
| 2022 | 6,220 ha | 53,900 ha | 60,100 ha |
| 2023 | 5,580 ha | 62,200 ha | 67,800 ha |
| 2024 | 7,510 ha | 108,000 ha | 116,000 ha |
| 2025 | 3,650 ha | 67,900 ha | 71,500 ha |
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 74,800 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 76,600 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2024, when about 116,000 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in the Republic of the Congo?
- Shifting farmingcan grow back66% · 812,000 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good10% · 125,000 ha
- Wildfirescan grow back10% · 124,000 ha
Also: logging, storms, floods and other natural causes, mining and energy, 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
Republic of the Congo as a whole
64.0% of the Republic of the Congo 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 Republic of the Congo with another country
This place
Republic of the Congo
Clean-air buying guides
Cleaner air at home in the Republic of the Congo
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 the Republic of the Congo: your questions answered
What is the air quality in the Republic of the Congo today?
Right now the 5 cities Airleaf measures in the Republic of the Congo average AQI 42 (good). The worst air is in Pointe-Noire, at AQI 65, and the cleanest in Dolisie, at AQI 12. None of the 5 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 40% have Good air.
Which city in the Republic of the Congo has the worst air right now?
Pointe-Noire, at AQI 65 (Moderate) on the US EPA index. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Which city in the Republic of the Congo has the cleanest air right now?
Dolisie, at AQI 12 (Good). Both lists rank current readings, from ground stations wherever the Republic of the Congo has at least three cities with one.
Is the air in the Republic of the Congo safe to breathe today?
It depends on the city. 2 cities are Good, 3 cities are Moderate. At the national average of AQI 42: Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
How much forest has the Republic of the Congo lost since 2001?
About 1.23 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. 147,000 ha of it was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
How does Airleaf measure air quality in the Republic of the Congo?
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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