City report · Scotland, United Kingdom
Edinburgh Air quality today
Air quality in Edinburgh currently reads AQI 54 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 54
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 10.6
- tree cover
- 31.0%
- trees in this area
- 97.3K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Edinburgh New Town, Edinburgh, UK (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Jul 20, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Edinburgh · AQI 54 (Moderate)
Edinburgh's tree count comes to 97,292 trees across 4.8 sq mi (12.56 km²) of land, already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Edinburgh today: AQI 54, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 16:00 local time via World Air Quality Index Project ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Edinburgh St Leonards, United Kingdom, 0.7 mi (1.1 km) away · median of 5 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
10.6
PM10
22.7
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: World Air Quality Index Project, UK-AIR, air quality information resource - Defra, UK, Air Quality in Scotland - latest data, forecasts and air quality information
- 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 Edinburgh's daily AQI at 34 on average, from 13 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 64 on Nov 7.
This is the US EPA AQI. How it differs from the UK's Daily Air Quality Index
Where Edinburgh stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Edinburgh: Healthy tree cover
31.0% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.8 sq mi (12.56 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
97,292
Target trees
97,292
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Edinburgh lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Edinburgh has lost about 79 hectares of forest (about 110 football pitches): 2.6% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (78%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 79 haabout 110 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 2.6%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 61 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2001, when about 26 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 | 23 ha | 4 ha | 26 ha |
| 2002 | 10 ha | 2 ha | 12 ha |
| 2003 | 7 ha | under 1 ha | 7 ha |
| 2004 | 9 ha | 1 ha | 11 ha |
| 2005 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2006 | 4 ha | 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2007 | 3 ha | 3 ha | 6 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2010 | 2 ha | 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2012 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 2 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 Edinburgh?
- Towns and roadscleared for good40% · 32 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good37% · 29 ha
- Loggingcan grow back14% · 11 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
- 1,740 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 1,860 ha
- Overall change
- +118 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Edinburgh grew from about 1,740 hectares to 1,860 hectares, a net gain of about 118 hectares (+6.8%). New forest grew on about 232 hectares, while 113 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 Edinburgh
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Dundee59.1 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 23%
- Air quality
- 11
- Newcastle upon Tyne147.6 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 25%
- Air quality
- 58
- Aberdeen148.6 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 23%
- Air quality
- 9
- Sunderland163.3 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 18%
- Air quality
- 47
- Middlesbrough197.1 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 13%
- Air quality
- 19
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Frequently asked
Questions about Edinburgh
What is the air quality (AQI) in Edinburgh right now?
The latest reading for Edinburgh shows an AQI of 54 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 16:00 local time by 5 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Edinburgh St Leonards, United Kingdom, 0.7 mi (1.1 km) away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Edinburgh today?
At AQI 54 (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 Edinburgh been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Edinburgh's daily AQI at 34 on average, from 13 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 64 on Nov 7. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Is Edinburgh'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 Edinburgh lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Edinburgh has lost about 79 hectares of forest (about 110 football pitches): 2.6% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (78%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Edinburgh grew from about 1,740 hectares to 1,860 hectares, a net gain of about 118 hectares (+6.8%). New forest grew on about 232 hectares, while 113 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Edinburgh?
Edinburgh has an estimated 97,292 trees across the 4.8 sq mi (12.56 km²) of land measured — 31.0% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Edinburgh need?
Edinburgh has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Edinburgh's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Edinburgh New Town, 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 Edinburgh New Town; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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