Kigali
2 km around Inyarurembo
Air quality now
AQI 55
19.8%
tree cover
32.0K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Africa · air quality report · 5 cities
Rwanda air quality today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now the 5 cities Airleaf measures in Rwanda average AQI 53 (moderate). The worst air is in Gitarama, at AQI 63, and the cleanest in Musanze, at AQI 41.
None of the 5 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 40% have Good air.
Average right now
AQI 53
Moderate
US EPA index, across 5 cities
- cities measured
- 5
- worst air: Gitarama
- 63
- cleanest air: Musanze
- 41
- average tree cover
- 19.6%
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Rwanda · average AQI 53
Air quality right now in all 5 cities in Rwanda
Moderate
Gisenyi
2 km around Rubavu
Air quality now
AQI 47
22.8%
tree cover
11.6K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Musanze
2 km around Musanze
Air quality now
AQI 41
14.8%
tree cover
47.8K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Nyagatare
2 km around Nyagatare
Air quality now
AQI 60
21.6%
tree cover
26.4K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Gitarama
2 km around Gitarama
Air quality now
AQI 63
19.2%
tree cover
33.9K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Across the country
How clean is the air across Rwanda today?
None of the 5 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 40% have Good air. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
5 measured cities
- Good2 (40%)
- Moderate3 (60%)
Every measured city, including model estimates where no ground station is near.
Against everywhere else
How does Rwanda compare with other countries?
Right now the cities of Rwanda average cleaner air than 47% of the 171 countries Airleaf has enough cities to average, and more tree cover than 41%.
Cleaner air than…
- Rwanda
- Beats 47%
More tree cover than…
- Rwanda
- Beats 41%
See the most polluted and cleanest air rankings for every country.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Rwanda lost?
Since 2001, Rwanda has lost about 54,000 hectares of forest (about 76,000 football pitches): 11% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (56%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 54,000 haabout 76,000 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 11%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 30,300 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 | 967 ha | 555 ha | 1,520 ha |
| 2002 | 705 ha | 241 ha | 946 ha |
| 2003 | 724 ha | 368 ha | 1,090 ha |
| 2004 | 696 ha | 432 ha | 1,130 ha |
| 2005 | 555 ha | 268 ha | 823 ha |
| 2006 | 490 ha | 252 ha | 742 ha |
| 2007 | 1,080 ha | 367 ha | 1,450 ha |
| 2008 | 790 ha | 331 ha | 1,120 ha |
| 2009 | 975 ha | 438 ha | 1,410 ha |
| 2010 | 1,990 ha | 469 ha | 2,460 ha |
| 2011 | 676 ha | 264 ha | 940 ha |
| 2012 | 760 ha | 348 ha | 1,110 ha |
| 2013 | 1,590 ha | 889 ha | 2,480 ha |
| 2014 | 1,690 ha | 1,230 ha | 2,930 ha |
| 2015 | 1,090 ha | 1,150 ha | 2,240 ha |
| 2016 | 1,260 ha | 1,540 ha | 2,800 ha |
| 2017 | 1,260 ha | 1,470 ha | 2,730 ha |
| 2018 | 2,180 ha | 2,180 ha | 4,360 ha |
| 2019 | 1,090 ha | 1,450 ha | 2,550 ha |
| 2020 | 1,270 ha | 1,980 ha | 3,240 ha |
| 2021 | 1,500 ha | 1,450 ha | 2,940 ha |
| 2022 | 1,330 ha | 1,220 ha | 2,560 ha |
| 2023 | 1,590 ha | 1,460 ha | 3,060 ha |
| 2024 | 1,930 ha | 1,710 ha | 3,640 ha |
| 2025 | 2,060 ha | 1,650 ha | 3,710 ha |
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 3,180 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 3,140 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2018, when about 4,360 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in Rwanda?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good54% · 29,100 ha
- Loggingcan grow back39% · 20,800 ha
- Storms, floods and other natural causescan grow back2.3% · 1,260 ha
Also: towns and roads, shifting farming, wildfires, 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
Rwanda as a whole
26.1% of Rwanda was forested as of 2024, against a 30% benchmark. Closing that gap nationally would take roughly 92.8M trees across 92.8K hectares. Source: World Bank (FAO).
Build your own
Compare Rwanda with another country
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Rwanda
Clean-air buying guides
Cleaner air at home in Rwanda
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 Rwanda: your questions answered
What is the air quality in Rwanda today?
Right now the 5 cities Airleaf measures in Rwanda average AQI 53 (moderate). The worst air is in Gitarama, at AQI 63, and the cleanest in Musanze, at AQI 41. None of the 5 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 40% have Good air.
Which city in Rwanda has the worst air right now?
Gitarama, at AQI 63 (Moderate) on the US EPA index. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Which city in Rwanda has the cleanest air right now?
Musanze, at AQI 41 (Good). Both lists rank current readings, from ground stations wherever Rwanda has at least three cities with one.
Is the air in Rwanda safe to breathe today?
It depends on the city. 2 cities are Good, 3 cities are Moderate. At the national average of AQI 53: Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
How much forest has Rwanda lost since 2001?
About 54,000 ha from 2001 to 2025, 11% of the forest it had in 2000, from the University of Maryland's yearly satellite maps of forest loss. 30,300 ha of it was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
How does Airleaf measure air quality in Rwanda?
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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