City report · Palestinian Territory
East Jerusalem Air quality today
Air quality in East Jerusalem currently reads AQI 53 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 53
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 10.1
- tree cover
- 6.9%
- trees in this area
- 21.7K
- more trees needed
- 72.6K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Jerusalem, Yerushalayim, Israel (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 16, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
East Jerusalem · AQI 53 (Moderate)
East Jerusalem's tree count comes to 21,677 trees across 12.57 km², 23 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 72,571 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in East Jerusalem today: AQI 53, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 17:00 local time via World Air Quality Index Project ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Bar Ilan University - the'' UN, Jerusalem, Israel (ישראל,בר אילן -י''ם, ירושלים), 1.8 km away · median of 3 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
10.1
PM10
27.0
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: World Air Quality Index Project, Israel Ministry of Environmental Protection
- Outdoor exercise
- Fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier
- Windows
- Fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution
- Mask
- Not needed for most people
- Air purifier
- Worth running if you are sensitive
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put East Jerusalem's daily AQI at 42 on average, from 28 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 63 on Nov 6.
Where East Jerusalem stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in East Jerusalem: Critically low
6.9% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
21,677
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
72,571
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,597 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has East Jerusalem lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of East Jerusalem has lost about 9 hectares of forest (about 13 football pitches): 4.8% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (80%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from August 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 9 haabout 13 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 4.8%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 7 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2013, when about 4 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 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 | under 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2013 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2014 | 1 ha | 1 ha | 2 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 East Jerusalem?
- Towns and roadscleared for good79% · 7 ha
- Loggingcan grow back12% · 1 ha
- Wildfirescan grow back5.5% · under 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
- 740 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 822 ha
- Overall change
- +82 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around East Jerusalem grew from about 740 hectares to 822 hectares, a net gain of about 82 hectares (+11%). New forest grew on about 128 hectares, while 46 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 East Jerusalem
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Bet Shemesh23.5 km
Israel
- Tree cover
- 12%
- Air quality
- 53
- Reẖovot41.7 km
Israel
- Tree cover
- 15%
- Air quality
- 86
- Rishon LeTsiyyon46.9 km
Israel
- Tree cover
- 13%
- Air quality
- 72
- Petaẖ Tiqva47.2 km
Israel
- Tree cover
- 13%
- Air quality
- 62
Also compared:East Jerusalem vs Gaza
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Frequently asked
Questions about East Jerusalem
What is the air quality (AQI) in East Jerusalem right now?
The latest reading for East Jerusalem shows an AQI of 53 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 17:00 local time by 3 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Bar Ilan University - the'' UN, Jerusalem, Israel (ישראל,בר אילן -י''ם, ירושלים), 1.8 km away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in East Jerusalem today?
At AQI 53 (Moderate): fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier. Windows: fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution. Masks: not needed for most people. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.
What has the air quality in East Jerusalem been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put East Jerusalem's daily AQI at 42 on average, from 28 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 63 on Nov 6. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around East Jerusalem lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of East Jerusalem has lost about 9 hectares of forest (about 13 football pitches): 4.8% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (80%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around East Jerusalem grew from about 740 hectares to 822 hectares, a net gain of about 82 hectares (+11%). New forest grew on about 128 hectares, while 46 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in East Jerusalem?
East Jerusalem has an estimated 21,677 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 6.9% tree cover, 23 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does East Jerusalem need?
East Jerusalem needs roughly 72,571 more trees to close a 23-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,597 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are East Jerusalem's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Jerusalem, 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 Jerusalem; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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