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Airleaf

City report · Benue State, Nigeria

Gboko Air quality today

Air quality in Gboko currently reads AQI 63 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.

AQI 63

Air quality right now

Moderate

Main pollutant: PM2.5
PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
16.8
tree cover
7.7%
trees in this area
24.2K
more trees needed
70.1K

Measured across a 2 km radius around Gboko, Benue, Nigeria (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Oct 20, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.

Gboko · AQI 63 (Moderate)

Dark green marks tree cover detected inside the study radius.Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search, captured Oct 20, 2026

Gboko's tree count comes to 24,190 trees across 12.57 km², 22 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 70,058 more trees would close the gap.

Air quality detail

Air quality in Gboko today: AQI 63, Moderate

Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 10, 16:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.

Model estimate · no ground station nearby

Health signal

Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.

PM2.5

16.8

PM10

21.9

NO₂

1.3

O₃

86.0

SO₂

1.2

CO

253.0

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 Gboko's daily AQI at 76 on average, from 62 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 157 on Nov 7.

Last 7 daysavg 76 · peak 157
Nov 4: AQI 62 (peak 95)Nov 5: AQI 79 (peak 115)Nov 6: AQI 78 (peak 132)Nov 7: AQI 84 (peak 157)Nov 8: AQI 94 (peak 153)Nov 9: AQI 71 (peak 102)Nov 10: AQI 67 (peak 84)
Nov 4Nov 10

Where Gboko stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest

Tree cover detail

Tree cover in Gboko: Critically low

7.7% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².

22 points below target

Trees in this area

24,190

Target trees

94,248

More trees needed

70,058

CO₂ if planted / yr

1,541 t

Deforestation · 2001–2025

How much forest has Gboko lost?

There was almost no forest around Gboko in 2000, so there has been almost nothing to lose since. Only fairly dense woodland counts as forest in these maps, so scattered street and garden trees don't show up here.

Satellite image of the area around Gboko, January 2017

2017: satellite photo from January 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.

Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020

Forest in 2000
1,090 ha
Forest in 2020
1,130 ha
Overall change
+36 hamore forest than in 2000

Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Gboko grew from about 1,090 hectares to 1,130 hectares, a net gain of about 36 hectares (+3.3%). New forest grew on about 90 hectares, while 54 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 Gboko

Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.

  • Makurdi

    Nigeria

    69.9 km
    Tree cover
    11%
    Air quality
    79
  • Lafia

    Nigeria

    140.8 km
    Tree cover
    6%
    Air quality
    83
  • Abakaliki

    Nigeria

    148.0 km
    Tree cover
    13%
    Air quality
    100
  • Nsukka

    Nigeria

    184.5 km
    Tree cover
    31%
    Air quality
    76
  • Enugu

    Nigeria

    192.6 km
    Tree cover
    13%
    Air quality
    117
  • Ugep

    Nigeria

    196.7 km
    Tree cover
    22%
    Air quality
    79

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Gboko air quality (AQI) and tree cover — measured by Airleaf
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Frequently asked

Questions about Gboko

What is the air quality (AQI) in Gboko right now?

The latest reading for Gboko shows an AQI of 63 (Moderate), observed Nov 10, 16:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.

Is it safe to exercise outside in Gboko today?

At AQI 63 (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 Gboko been like this week?

Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Gboko's daily AQI at 76 on average, from 62 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 157 on Nov 7. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.

How much forest has the area around Gboko lost since 2001?

There was almost no forest around Gboko in 2000, so there has been almost nothing to lose since. Only fairly dense woodland counts as forest in these maps, so scattered street and garden trees don't show up here. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Gboko grew from about 1,090 hectares to 1,130 hectares, a net gain of about 36 hectares (+3.3%). New forest grew on about 90 hectares, while 54 hectares were lost.

What is the tree count in Gboko?

Gboko has an estimated 24,190 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 7.7% tree cover, 22 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.

How many more trees does Gboko need?

Gboko needs roughly 70,058 more trees to close a 22-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,541 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.

How are Gboko's air quality and tree cover measured?

Air quality comes from ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ where one reports nearby, and otherwise, as here, from the Open-Meteo / CAMS model, which may differ from street-level monitors. 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 Gboko; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.

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