City report · Burundi
Gitega Air quality today
Air quality in Gitega currently reads AQI 52 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 52
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 10.9
- tree cover
- 13.6%
- trees in this area
- 42.7K
- more trees needed
- 51.5K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Gitega, Burundi (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 18, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Gitega · AQI 52 (Moderate)
Gitega's tree count comes to 42,726 trees across 12.57 km², 16 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 51,522 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Gitega today: AQI 52, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 10, 11:00 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
10.9
PM10
13.2
NO₂
0.3
O₃
82.0
SO₂
0.4
CO
232.0
- 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 Gitega's daily AQI at 51 on average, from 36 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 87 on Nov 8.
Where Gitega stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Gitega: Critically low
13.6% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
42,726
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
51,522
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,133 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Gitega lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Gitega has lost about 90 hectares of forest (about 130 football pitches): 12% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (78%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 90 haabout 130 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 12%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 70 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2017, when about 9 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 | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2002 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2004 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2005 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2007 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2008 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 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 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2015 | 6 ha | 2 ha | 8 ha |
| 2016 | 3 ha | 4 ha | 7 ha |
| 2017 | 8 ha | 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2018 | 7 ha | 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2019 | 3 ha | 2 ha | 5 ha |
| 2020 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2021 | 6 ha | 1 ha | 7 ha |
| 2022 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2023 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2024 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2025 | 4 ha | 1 ha | 5 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Gitega?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good73% · 66 ha
- Loggingcan grow back19% · 17 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good5.6% · 5 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
- 10,700 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 11,200 ha
- Overall change
- +499 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Gitega grew from about 10,700 hectares to 11,200 hectares, a net gain of about 499 hectares (+4.6%). New forest grew on about 547 hectares, while 48 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
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Frequently asked
Questions about Gitega
What is the air quality (AQI) in Gitega right now?
The latest reading for Gitega shows an AQI of 52 (Moderate), observed Nov 10, 11:00 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 Gitega today?
At AQI 52 (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 Gitega been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Gitega's daily AQI at 51 on average, from 36 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 87 on Nov 8. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Gitega lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Gitega has lost about 90 hectares of forest (about 130 football pitches): 12% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (78%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Gitega grew from about 10,700 hectares to 11,200 hectares, a net gain of about 499 hectares (+4.6%). New forest grew on about 547 hectares, while 48 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Gitega?
Gitega has an estimated 42,726 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 13.6% tree cover, 16 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Gitega need?
Gitega needs roughly 51,522 more trees to close a 16-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,133 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Gitega'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 Gitega; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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