City report · Scotland, United Kingdom
Glasgow Air quality today
Air quality in Glasgow currently reads AQI 69 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 69
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 18.5
- tree cover
- 19.9%
- trees in this area
- 60.3K
- more trees needed
- 30.6K
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Glasgow, UK (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Aug 24, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Glasgow · AQI 69 (Moderate)
Glasgow's tree count comes to 60,330 trees across 4.7 sq mi (12.13 km²) of land, 10 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 30,620 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Glasgow today: AQI 69, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 15:00 local time via World Air Quality Index Project ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Glasgow Nithsdale Road, United Kingdom, 2.1 mi (3.3 km) away · median of 8 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
18.5
PM10
23.8
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: World Air Quality Index Project, 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 Glasgow's daily AQI at 52 on average, from 27 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 73 on Nov 10.
This is the US EPA AQI. How it differs from the UK's Daily Air Quality Index
Where Glasgow stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Glasgow: Below target
19.9% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.7 sq mi (12.13 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
60,330
Target trees
90,950
More trees needed
30,620
CO₂ if planted / yr
673.6 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Glasgow lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Glasgow has lost about 23 hectares of forest (about 32 football pitches): under 1% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was towns and roads (34%). About 9 hectares (40%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2019: satellite photo from June 2019 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 23 haabout 32 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- under 1%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 9 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2010, 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 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 | 2 ha | 3 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2010 | 1 ha | 4 ha | 5 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 3 ha |
| 2012 | 2 ha | 2 ha | 4 ha |
| 2013 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 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 | 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 Glasgow?
- Towns and roadscleared for good34% · 8 ha
- Loggingcan grow back9.3% · 2 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good6.2% · 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
- 1,320 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 1,610 ha
- Overall change
- +287 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Glasgow grew from about 1,320 hectares to 1,610 hectares, a net gain of about 287 hectares (+22%). New forest grew on about 338 hectares, while 51 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 Glasgow
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Dundee104.0 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 23%
- Air quality
- 10
- Douglas191.3 km
Isle of Man
- Tree cover
- 26%
- Air quality
- 78
- Newcastle upon Tyne194.1 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 25%
- Air quality
- 59
- Aberdeen194.3 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 23%
- Air quality
- 10
Also compared:Glasgow vs LondonGlasgow vs ManchesterGlasgow vs BirminghamGlasgow vs Sheffield
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Frequently asked
Questions about Glasgow
What is the air quality (AQI) in Glasgow right now?
The latest reading for Glasgow shows an AQI of 69 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 15:00 local time by 8 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Glasgow Nithsdale Road, United Kingdom, 2.1 mi (3.3 km) away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Glasgow today?
At AQI 69 (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 Glasgow been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Glasgow's daily AQI at 52 on average, from 27 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 73 on Nov 10. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Is Glasgow'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 Glasgow lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Glasgow has lost about 23 hectares of forest (about 32 football pitches): under 1% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was towns and roads (34%). About 9 hectares (40%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Glasgow grew from about 1,320 hectares to 1,610 hectares, a net gain of about 287 hectares (+22%). New forest grew on about 338 hectares, while 51 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Glasgow?
Glasgow has an estimated 60,330 trees across the 4.7 sq mi (12.13 km²) of land measured — 19.9% tree cover, 10 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Glasgow need?
Glasgow needs roughly 30,620 more trees to close a 10-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 673.6 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Glasgow's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Glasgow, 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 Glasgow; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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