Bern
2 km around Gelbes Quartier
Air quality now
AQI 54
46.4%
tree cover
Healthy tree cover
Europe · air quality report · 6 cities
Switzerland air quality today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now the 6 cities Airleaf measures in Switzerland average AQI 40 (good). The worst air is in Basel, at AQI 65, and the cleanest in Lausanne, at AQI 15.
At ground stations alone, which measure rather than estimate, the average is AQI 40 across 6 cities. None of the 6 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 67% have Good air.
Average right now
AQI 40
Good
US EPA index, across 6 cities
- cities measured
- 6
- worst air: Basel
- 65
- cleanest air: Lausanne
- 15
- average tree cover
- 42.0%
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Switzerland · average AQI 40
Air quality right now in all 6 cities in Switzerland
Moderate
Zürich
2 km around Hochschulen
Air quality now
AQI 31
45.0%
tree cover
Healthy tree cover
Geneva
2 km around Cité
Air quality now
AQI 29
27.4%
tree cover
7.1K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Basel
2 km around Basel-Iselin
Air quality now
AQI 65
31.7%
tree cover
Healthy tree cover
Lausanne
2 km around Lausanne
Air quality now
AQI 15
40.4%
tree cover
Healthy tree cover
Winterthur
2 km around Winterthur
Air quality now
AQI 44
61.1%
tree cover
Healthy tree cover
Across the country
How clean is the air across Switzerland today?
None of the 6 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 67% have Good air. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
6 measured cities
- Good4 (67%)
- Moderate2 (33%)
Every measured city, including model estimates where no ground station is near.
Against everywhere else
How does Switzerland compare with other countries?
Right now the cities of Switzerland average cleaner air than 70% of the 171 countries Airleaf has enough cities to average, and more tree cover than 93%.
Cleaner air than…
- Switzerland
- Beats 70%
More tree cover than…
- Switzerland
- Beats 93%
See the most polluted and cleanest air rankings for every country.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Switzerland lost?
Since 2001, Switzerland has lost about 56,900 hectares of forest (about 80,000 football pitches): 3.7% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 3,280 hectares (5.8%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 56,900 haabout 80,000 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 3.7%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 3,280 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 | 56 ha | 1,100 ha | 1,160 ha |
| 2002 | 53 ha | 827 ha | 879 ha |
| 2003 | 54 ha | 377 ha | 431 ha |
| 2004 | 180 ha | 3,670 ha | 3,850 ha |
| 2005 | 117 ha | 2,200 ha | 2,320 ha |
| 2006 | 186 ha | 1,870 ha | 2,060 ha |
| 2007 | 128 ha | 1,730 ha | 1,860 ha |
| 2008 | 161 ha | 2,260 ha | 2,430 ha |
| 2009 | 171 ha | 2,100 ha | 2,270 ha |
| 2010 | 153 ha | 1,590 ha | 1,740 ha |
| 2011 | 115 ha | 1,840 ha | 1,950 ha |
| 2012 | 125 ha | 1,380 ha | 1,510 ha |
| 2013 | 82 ha | 709 ha | 791 ha |
| 2014 | 102 ha | 1,400 ha | 1,500 ha |
| 2015 | 63 ha | 714 ha | 777 ha |
| 2016 | 133 ha | 1,560 ha | 1,690 ha |
| 2017 | 150 ha | 2,410 ha | 2,560 ha |
| 2018 | 166 ha | 2,970 ha | 3,140 ha |
| 2019 | 228 ha | 3,310 ha | 3,530 ha |
| 2020 | 165 ha | 3,790 ha | 3,960 ha |
| 2021 | 97 ha | 3,390 ha | 3,490 ha |
| 2022 | 79 ha | 1,900 ha | 1,980 ha |
| 2023 | 129 ha | 2,980 ha | 3,110 ha |
| 2024 | 220 ha | 4,020 ha | 4,240 ha |
| 2025 | 164 ha | 3,570 ha | 3,730 ha |
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 3,310 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 2,980 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2024, when about 4,240 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in Switzerland?
- Loggingcan grow back85% · 48,300 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good4.9% · 2,760 ha
- Storms, floods and other natural causescan grow back4.6% · 2,610 ha
Also: wildfires, farms, pasture and plantations, 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
Switzerland as a whole
32.0% of Switzerland 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 Switzerland with another country
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Switzerland
Clean-air buying guides
Cleaner air at home in Switzerland
Picked by tested clean-air delivery rate (CADR), noise and running cost, from independent test labels. No brand pays to be listed.
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- 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 Switzerland: your questions answered
What is the air quality in Switzerland today?
Right now the 6 cities Airleaf measures in Switzerland average AQI 40 (good). The worst air is in Basel, at AQI 65, and the cleanest in Lausanne, at AQI 15. At ground stations alone, which measure rather than estimate, the average is AQI 40 across 6 cities. None of the 6 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 67% have Good air.
Which city in Switzerland has the worst air right now?
Basel, at AQI 65 (Moderate) on the US EPA index. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Which city in Switzerland has the cleanest air right now?
Lausanne, at AQI 15 (Good). Both lists rank current readings, from ground stations wherever Switzerland has at least three cities with one.
Is the air in Switzerland safe to breathe today?
It depends on the city. 4 cities are Good, 2 cities are Moderate. At the national average of AQI 40: Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
How much forest has Switzerland lost since 2001?
About 56,900 ha from 2001 to 2025, 4% of the forest it had in 2000, from the University of Maryland's yearly satellite maps of forest loss. 3,280 ha of it was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
How does Airleaf measure air quality in Switzerland?
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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