City report · England, United Kingdom
Derby Air quality today
Air quality in Derby currently reads AQI 38 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
AQI 38
Air quality right now
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 6.9
- tree cover
- 25.6%
- trees in this area
- 80.4K
- more trees needed
- 13.8K
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around City Centre, Derby, UK (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Aug 23, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Derby · AQI 38 (Good)
Derby's tree count comes to 80,425 trees across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²), 4 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 13,823 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Derby today: AQI 38, Good
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 16:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Charnwood Drive, Ripley, 8.9 mi (14.4 km) away · median of 3 stations
Health signal
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
PM2.5
6.9
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, Ripley, Overseal Parish Council
- Outdoor exercise
- A good day to be active outside
- Windows
- Open them to air the house
- Mask
- Not needed
- Air purifier
- Not needed
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Derby's daily AQI at 63 on average, from 29 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 96 on Nov 7.
This is the US EPA AQI. How it differs from the UK's Daily Air Quality Index
Where Derby stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Derby: Below target
25.6% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²).
Trees in this area
80,425
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
13,823
CO₂ if planted / yr
304.1 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Derby lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Derby has lost about 12 hectares of forest (about 17 football pitches): under 1% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was farms, pasture and plantations (17%). About 3 hectares (26%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2018: satellite photo from June 2018 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 12 haabout 17 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- under 1%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 3 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2001, when about 5 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 | 3 ha | 5 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2005 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 2 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2017 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Derby?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good17% · 2 ha
- Loggingcan grow back16% · 2 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good9.1% · 1 ha
Also: 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
- 2,120 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 2,430 ha
- Overall change
- +313 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Derby grew from about 2,120 hectares to 2,430 hectares, a net gain of about 313 hectares (+15%). New forest grew on about 341 hectares, while 28 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 Derby
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Burton upon Trent17.0 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 25%
- Air quality
- 7
- Nottingham22.1 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 27%
- Air quality
- 48
- Mansfield29.8 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 48
- Chesterfield36.6 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 27%
- Air quality
- 40
- Leicester39.2 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 15%
- Air quality
- 28
- Sutton Coldfield45.7 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 48%
- Air quality
- 31
Build your own
Compare Derby with anywhere
This place
Derby
Use this data
Put Derby's numbers on your site
Free to embed. Updates itself as the measurement refreshes.
Frequently asked
Questions about Derby
What is the air quality (AQI) in Derby right now?
The latest reading for Derby shows an AQI of 38 (Good), measured Nov 11, 16:00 local time by 3 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Charnwood Drive, Ripley, 8.9 mi (14.4 km) away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Derby today?
At AQI 38 (Good): a good day to be active outside. Windows: open them to air the house. Masks: not needed. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.
What has the air quality in Derby been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Derby's daily AQI at 63 on average, from 29 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 96 on Nov 7. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Is Derby's AQI the same as the UK's Daily Air Quality Index?
No. Airleaf shows the US EPA Air Quality Index (AQI), the scale used by IQAir and most air-quality apps. The UK's Daily Air Quality Index (DAQI), published by Defra, runs from 1 to 10: 1–3 low, 4–6 moderate, 7–9 high and 10 very high. It is a different scale altogether, so a US AQI figure can't be read on it directly; both, though, are built from the same main pollutants, with fine particles (PM2.5) usually the one that decides the reading.
How much forest has the area around Derby lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Derby has lost about 12 hectares of forest (about 17 football pitches): under 1% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was farms, pasture and plantations (17%). About 3 hectares (26%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Derby grew from about 2,120 hectares to 2,430 hectares, a net gain of about 313 hectares (+15%). New forest grew on about 341 hectares, while 28 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Derby?
Derby has an estimated 80,425 trees across the 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²) measured — 25.6% tree cover, 4 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Derby need?
Derby needs roughly 13,823 more trees to close a 4-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 304.1 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Derby's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near City Centre, 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 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around City Centre; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
See your own area
What does your neighborhood look like?
Pick any point and radius to get the same air-quality and tree-cover breakdown.
Check my address