Dakar
2 km around Colobane
Air quality now
AQI 16
3.7%
tree cover
79.6K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Africa · air quality report · 15 cities
Senegal air quality today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now the 15 cities Airleaf measures in Senegal average AQI 58 (moderate). The worst air is in Pikine, at AQI 67, and the cleanest in Dakar, at AQI 16.
At ground stations alone, which measure rather than estimate, the average is AQI 45 across 7 cities. None of the 15 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 27% have Good air.
Average right now
AQI 58
Moderate
US EPA index, across 15 cities
- cities measured
- 15
- worst air: Pikine
- 67
- cleanest air: Dakar
- 16
- average tree cover
- 8.1%
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Senegal · average AQI 58
Air quality right now in the 8 largest cities in Senegal
Good
Touba
2 km around Touba
Air quality now
AQI 58
2.5%
tree cover
86.4K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Thiès
2 km around Randouléne Nord
Air quality now
AQI 59
17.1%
tree cover
40.5K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Kaolack
2 km around Kaolack
Air quality now
AQI 77
1.0%
tree cover
91.1K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Mbour
2 km around Mbour
Air quality now
AQI 70
5.9%
tree cover
74.7K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Pikine
2 km around Pikine Nord
Air quality now
AQI 67
7.5%
tree cover
70.3K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Rufisque
2 km around Rufisque est
Air quality now
AQI 46
1.9%
tree cover
59.1K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Saint-Louis
2 km around Cite Niakh
Air quality now
AQI 16
4.3%
tree cover
53.5K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Across the country
How clean is the air across Senegal today?
None of the 15 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 27% have Good air. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
15 measured cities
- Good4 (27%)
- Moderate11 (73%)
Every measured city, including model estimates where no ground station is near.
In aggregate
Senegal 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 15 of 15 cities measured so far in Senegal.
- Average air quality
- AQI 58Mean of the latest reading per city
- Average tree cover
- 8.1%15 of 15 below their target
- Trees counted
- 374KAcross every measured area
- More trees needed
- 971KTo bring each area to its target
Worst air quality right now
Cleanest air right now
Greenest cities in Senegal
Least tree cover in Senegal
Excludes barren and desert sites
Against everywhere else
How does Senegal compare with other countries?
Right now the cities of Senegal average cleaner air than 41% of the 171 countries Airleaf has enough cities to average, and more tree cover than 16%.
Cleaner air than…
- Senegal
- Beats 41%
More tree cover than…
- Senegal
- Beats 16%
See the most polluted and cleanest air rankings for every country.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Senegal lost?
Since 2001, Senegal has lost about 5,440 hectares of forest (about 7,600 football pitches): 14% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (79%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 5,440 haabout 7,600 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 14%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 4,280 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 | 61 ha | 10 ha | 71 ha |
| 2002 | 143 ha | 17 ha | 160 ha |
| 2003 | 31 ha | 7 ha | 37 ha |
| 2004 | 114 ha | 11 ha | 125 ha |
| 2005 | 57 ha | 15 ha | 72 ha |
| 2006 | 33 ha | 7 ha | 40 ha |
| 2007 | 147 ha | 24 ha | 171 ha |
| 2008 | 231 ha | 40 ha | 271 ha |
| 2009 | 141 ha | 17 ha | 158 ha |
| 2010 | 130 ha | 23 ha | 153 ha |
| 2011 | 97 ha | 17 ha | 114 ha |
| 2012 | 71 ha | 10 ha | 81 ha |
| 2013 | 288 ha | 96 ha | 384 ha |
| 2014 | 230 ha | 123 ha | 353 ha |
| 2015 | 214 ha | 84 ha | 298 ha |
| 2016 | 220 ha | 47 ha | 267 ha |
| 2017 | 305 ha | 86 ha | 391 ha |
| 2018 | 238 ha | 66 ha | 304 ha |
| 2019 | 205 ha | 73 ha | 278 ha |
| 2020 | 557 ha | 204 ha | 761 ha |
| 2021 | 128 ha | 50 ha | 178 ha |
| 2022 | 256 ha | 33 ha | 289 ha |
| 2023 | 119 ha | 41 ha | 160 ha |
| 2024 | 128 ha | 26 ha | 154 ha |
| 2025 | 136 ha | 34 ha | 170 ha |
Forest loss is slowing down: about 190 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 400 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2020, when about 761 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in Senegal?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good72% · 3,910 ha
- Shifting farmingcan grow back14% · 781 ha
- Loggingcan grow back4.4% · 240 ha
Also: towns and roads, mining and energy, storms, floods and other natural causes, 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
Senegal as a whole
45.0% of Senegal 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 Senegal
15 cities, A–Z
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Clean-air buying guides
Cleaner air at home in Senegal
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 Senegal: your questions answered
What is the air quality in Senegal today?
Right now the 15 cities Airleaf measures in Senegal average AQI 58 (moderate). The worst air is in Pikine, at AQI 67, and the cleanest in Dakar, at AQI 16. At ground stations alone, which measure rather than estimate, the average is AQI 45 across 7 cities. None of the 15 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 27% have Good air.
Which city in Senegal has the worst air right now?
Pikine, at AQI 67 (Moderate) on the US EPA index. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Which city in Senegal has the cleanest air right now?
Dakar, at AQI 16 (Good). Both lists rank current readings, from ground stations wherever Senegal has at least three cities with one.
Is the air in Senegal safe to breathe today?
It depends on the city. 4 cities are Good, 11 cities are Moderate. At the national average of AQI 58: Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
How much forest has Senegal lost since 2001?
About 5,440 ha from 2001 to 2025, 14% of the forest it had in 2000, from the University of Maryland's yearly satellite maps of forest loss. 4,280 ha of it was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
Which city in Senegal has the most trees?
Kolda, with 24.1% tree cover within 2 km of its center, measured from Sentinel-2 satellite images.
How does Airleaf measure air quality in Senegal?
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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