City report · Hungary
Debrecen Air quality today
Air quality in Debrecen currently reads AQI 104 (Unhealthy for sensitive groups): Sensitive groups should limit long or intense outdoor activity.
Air quality right now
AQI 104
Unhealthy for sensitive groups
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 36.6
- tree cover
- 30.2%
- trees in this area
- 94.9K
- more trees needed
- 15.1K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Debrecen, Hungary (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 17, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Debrecen · AQI 104 (Unhealthy for sensitive groups)
Debrecen's tree count comes to 94,876 trees across 12.57 km², 5 points below the 35% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 15,080 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Debrecen today: AQI 104, Unhealthy for sensitive groups
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 17:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Tettee, 2.5 km away · median of 5 stations
Health signal
Sensitive groups should limit long or intense outdoor activity.
PM2.5
36.6
PM10
14.8
NO₂
12.5
O₃
—
SO₂
10.3
CO
407.1
Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, EEA, Baseball
- Outdoor exercise
- Children, older adults and people with asthma or heart disease should cut down long or hard exercise
- Windows
- Close them to keep the outside air out
- Mask
- Sensitive groups: an N95 outdoors
- Air purifier
- Run one, especially in bedrooms
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Debrecen's daily AQI at 61 on average, from 42 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 98 on Nov 9.
Where Debrecen stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Debrecen: Below target
30.2% tree cover against a 35% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
94,876
Target trees
109,956
More trees needed
15,080
CO₂ if planted / yr
331.8 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Debrecen lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Debrecen has lost about 1,920 hectares of forest (about 2,700 football pitches): 30% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 36 hectares (1.9%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km east of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1,920 haabout 2,700 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 30%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 36 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 92 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 89 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2015, when about 123 hectares of forest were lost.
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 2 ha | 50 ha | 52 ha |
| 2002 | 3 ha | 56 ha | 60 ha |
| 2003 | 1 ha | 39 ha | 40 ha |
| 2004 | 2 ha | 52 ha | 54 ha |
| 2005 | 2 ha | 40 ha | 42 ha |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | 65 ha | 66 ha |
| 2007 | 2 ha | 46 ha | 48 ha |
| 2008 | 3 ha | 53 ha | 56 ha |
| 2009 | 2 ha | 55 ha | 57 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | 88 ha | 88 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | 54 ha | 54 ha |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | 76 ha | 76 ha |
| 2013 | 7 ha | 76 ha | 83 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | 112 ha | 112 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | 123 ha | 123 ha |
| 2016 | 2 ha | 111 ha | 113 ha |
| 2017 | under 1 ha | 86 ha | 86 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | 55 ha | 55 ha |
| 2019 | 2 ha | 91 ha | 94 ha |
| 2020 | 1 ha | 98 ha | 99 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | 77 ha | 78 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | 83 ha | 83 ha |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | 115 ha | 115 ha |
| 2024 | 2 ha | 100 ha | 102 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | 80 ha | 80 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Debrecen?
- Loggingcan grow back98% · 1,880 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good1.5% · 30 ha
Also: farms, pasture and plantations, unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 8,220 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 8,420 ha
- Overall change
- +204 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Debrecen grew from about 8,220 hectares to 8,420 hectares, a net gain of about 204 hectares (+2.5%). New forest grew on about 963 hectares, while 759 hectares were lost.
These 2000 and 2020 maps, from the University of Maryland, count any land with trees taller than 5 m as forest, including plantations and orchards. Forest that was cut or burned and had grown back by 2020 counts in both years, so the loss here is smaller than the yearly figures.
These figures cover everything within 10 km of the city center, a wider area than the report above, because forest is usually lost at a city's edges.
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. Forest gained and lost 2000–2020: Potapov et al. 2022, UMD GLAD Global Land Cover and Land Use Change, CC BY 4.0. Images: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data. How it's measured
In the same region
Measured cities near Debrecen
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Oradea58.4 km
Romania
- Tree cover
- 10%
- Air quality
- 79
- Satu Mare97.4 km
Romania
- Tree cover
- 15%
- Air quality
- 80
- Uzhhorod131.3 km
Ukraine
- Tree cover
- 43%
- Air quality
- 70
- Košice134.3 km
Slovakia
- Tree cover
- 20%
- Air quality
- 79
Also compared:Debrecen vs BudapestDebrecen vs Szeged
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Frequently asked
Questions about Debrecen
What is the air quality (AQI) in Debrecen right now?
The latest reading for Debrecen shows an AQI of 104 (Unhealthy for sensitive groups), measured Nov 11, 17:00 local time by 5 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Tettee, 2.5 km away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Sensitive groups should limit long or intense outdoor activity.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Debrecen today?
At AQI 104 (Unhealthy for sensitive groups): children, older adults and people with asthma or heart disease should cut down long or hard exercise. Windows: close them to keep the outside air out. Masks: sensitive groups: an N95 outdoors. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.
What has the air quality in Debrecen been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Debrecen's daily AQI at 61 on average, from 42 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 98 on Nov 9. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Debrecen lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Debrecen has lost about 1,920 hectares of forest (about 2,700 football pitches): 30% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 36 hectares (1.9%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 92 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 89 hectares a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Debrecen grew from about 8,220 hectares to 8,420 hectares, a net gain of about 204 hectares (+2.5%). New forest grew on about 963 hectares, while 759 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Debrecen?
Debrecen has an estimated 94,876 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 30.2% tree cover, 5 percentage points short of the 35% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Debrecen need?
Debrecen needs roughly 15,080 more trees to close a 5-point shortfall against its 35% tree-cover target — about 331.8 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Debrecen's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Debrecen, via OpenAQ; the 7-day trend is the Open-Meteo / CAMS model's estimate. Tree cover is measured from Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search satellite imagery at 10 m detail across a 2 km radius around Debrecen; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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