Harare
2 km around Harare South
Air quality now
AQI 16
17.6%
tree cover
39.0K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Africa · air quality report · 7 cities
Zimbabwe air quality today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now the 7 cities Airleaf measures in Zimbabwe average AQI 22 (good). The worst air is in Mutare, at AQI 39, and the cleanest in Kwekwe, at AQI 13.
None of the 7 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 100% have Good air.
Average right now
AQI 22
Good
US EPA index, across 7 cities
- cities measured
- 7
- worst air: Mutare
- 39
- cleanest air: Kwekwe
- 13
- average tree cover
- 16.5%
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Zimbabwe · average AQI 22
Air quality right now in all 7 cities in Zimbabwe
Good
Bulawayo
2 km around Makokoba
Air quality now
AQI 30
14.1%
tree cover
50.0K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Mutare
2 km around Target Area
Air quality now
AQI 39
36.6%
tree cover
Healthy tree cover
Gweru
2 km around Gweru
Air quality now
AQI 21
14.9%
tree cover
47.4K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Kwekwe
2 km around Kwekwe
Air quality now
AQI 13
12.6%
tree cover
54.7K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Chitungwiza
2 km around Chitungwiza
Air quality now
AQI 16
4.8%
tree cover
79.2K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Kadoma
2 km around Kadoma
Air quality now
AQI 21
14.6%
tree cover
48.4K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Across the country
How clean is the air across Zimbabwe today?
None of the 7 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 100% have Good air. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
7 measured cities
- Good7 (100%)
Every measured city, including model estimates where no ground station is near.
Against everywhere else
How does Zimbabwe compare with other countries?
Right now the cities of Zimbabwe average cleaner air than 94% of the 171 countries Airleaf has enough cities to average, and more tree cover than 34%.
Cleaner air than…
- Zimbabwe
- Beats 94%
More tree cover than…
- Zimbabwe
- Beats 34%
See the most polluted and cleanest air rankings for every country.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Zimbabwe lost?
Since 2001, Zimbabwe has lost about 242,000 hectares of forest (about 2,400 km²): 18% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (52%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 242,000 haabout 2,400 km²
- Share of its forest
- 18%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 126,000 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 | 4,540 ha | 3,440 ha | 7,990 ha |
| 2002 | 5,030 ha | 2,800 ha | 7,820 ha |
| 2003 | 3,640 ha | 3,550 ha | 7,180 ha |
| 2004 | 4,090 ha | 4,050 ha | 8,140 ha |
| 2005 | 7,670 ha | 3,810 ha | 11,500 ha |
| 2006 | 6,230 ha | 8,240 ha | 14,500 ha |
| 2007 | 5,660 ha | 3,330 ha | 8,990 ha |
| 2008 | 3,860 ha | 1,430 ha | 5,290 ha |
| 2009 | 12,300 ha | 6,830 ha | 19,100 ha |
| 2010 | 4,990 ha | 1,450 ha | 6,450 ha |
| 2011 | 4,660 ha | 4,200 ha | 8,860 ha |
| 2012 | 7,660 ha | 5,750 ha | 13,400 ha |
| 2013 | 3,820 ha | 5,280 ha | 9,100 ha |
| 2014 | 4,420 ha | 4,610 ha | 9,030 ha |
| 2015 | 4,460 ha | 7,240 ha | 11,700 ha |
| 2016 | 4,590 ha | 5,870 ha | 10,500 ha |
| 2017 | 9,830 ha | 15,000 ha | 24,800 ha |
| 2018 | 3,030 ha | 3,180 ha | 6,210 ha |
| 2019 | 4,390 ha | 6,190 ha | 10,600 ha |
| 2020 | 2,900 ha | 2,840 ha | 5,740 ha |
| 2021 | 5,640 ha | 3,050 ha | 8,690 ha |
| 2022 | 3,690 ha | 4,150 ha | 7,840 ha |
| 2023 | 3,250 ha | 2,170 ha | 5,420 ha |
| 2024 | 2,500 ha | 2,860 ha | 5,360 ha |
| 2025 | 3,600 ha | 4,430 ha | 8,030 ha |
Forest loss is slowing down: about 7,070 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 11,600 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2017, when about 24,800 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in Zimbabwe?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good52% · 125,000 ha
- Loggingcan grow back44% · 107,000 ha
- Wildfirescan grow back1.9% · 4,490 ha
Also: shifting farming, 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
Zimbabwe as a whole
35.7% of Zimbabwe 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 Zimbabwe with another country
This place
Zimbabwe
Clean-air buying guides
Cleaner air at home in Zimbabwe
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 Zimbabwe: your questions answered
What is the air quality in Zimbabwe today?
Right now the 7 cities Airleaf measures in Zimbabwe average AQI 22 (good). The worst air is in Mutare, at AQI 39, and the cleanest in Kwekwe, at AQI 13. None of the 7 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 100% have Good air.
Which city in Zimbabwe has the worst air right now?
Mutare, at AQI 39 (Good) on the US EPA index. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Which city in Zimbabwe has the cleanest air right now?
Kwekwe, at AQI 13 (Good). Both lists rank current readings, from ground stations wherever Zimbabwe has at least three cities with one.
Is the air in Zimbabwe safe to breathe today?
It depends on the city. 7 cities are Good. At the national average of AQI 22: Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
How much forest has Zimbabwe lost since 2001?
About 242,000 ha from 2001 to 2025, 18% of the forest it had in 2000, from the University of Maryland's yearly satellite maps of forest loss. 126,000 ha of it was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
How does Airleaf measure air quality in Zimbabwe?
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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