City report · Eastern Cape, South Africa
Gqeberha Air quality today
Air quality in Gqeberha currently reads AQI 62 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 62
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 11.3
- tree cover
- 21.2%
- trees in this area
- 54.5K
- more trees needed
- 22.6K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Gqeberha Central, Gqeberha, South Africa (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Mar 11, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Gqeberha · AQI 62 (Moderate)
Gqeberha's tree count comes to 54,547 trees across 10.29 km² of land, 9 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 22,642 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Gqeberha today: AQI 62, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 02:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 2 ground-station cities within 245 km, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Estimate · model corrected with 2 station cities within 245 km, e.g. Mdantsane and KuGompo City
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
11.3
PM10
16.4
NO₂
17.2
O₃
28.0
SO₂
13.0
CO
90.0
- 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 Gqeberha's daily AQI at 52 on average, from 38 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 94 on Nov 10.
Where Gqeberha stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Gqeberha: Below target
21.2% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 10.29 km² of land.
Trees in this area
54,547
Target trees
77,189
More trees needed
22,642
CO₂ if planted / yr
498.1 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Gqeberha lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Gqeberha has lost about 2,350 hectares of forest (about 3,300 football pitches): 55% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to wildfires, so much of it can grow back. About 198 hectares (8.4%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from March 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km south of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 2,350 haabout 3,300 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 55%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 198 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss is slowing down: about 130 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 188 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2017, when about 432 hectares of forest were lost, mostly to wildfires.
Gqeberha's full deforestation reportHectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 6 ha | 7 ha | 13 ha |
| 2002 | 5 ha | 57 ha | 61 ha |
| 2003 | 2 ha | 89 ha | 91 ha |
| 2004 | 10 ha | 9 ha | 19 ha |
| 2005 | 9 ha | 46 ha | 55 ha |
| 2006 | 10 ha | 30 ha | 40 ha |
| 2007 | 10 ha | 11 ha | 21 ha |
| 2008 | 12 ha | 10 ha | 21 ha |
| 2009 | 4 ha | 16 ha | 20 ha |
| 2010 | 2 ha | 8 ha | 10 ha |
| 2011 | 6 ha | 36 ha | 42 ha |
| 2012 | 4 ha | 4 ha | 8 ha |
| 2013 | 10 ha | 217 ha | 227 ha |
| 2014 | 3 ha | 82 ha | 86 ha |
| 2015 | 14 ha | 29 ha | 43 ha |
| 2016 | 5 ha | 58 ha | 62 ha |
| 2017 | 24 ha | 409 ha | 432 ha |
| 2018 | 13 ha | 36 ha | 49 ha |
| 2019 | 15 ha | 314 ha | 329 ha |
| 2020 | 6 ha | 62 ha | 69 ha |
| 2021 | 7 ha | 17 ha | 24 ha |
| 2022 | 12 ha | 9 ha | 22 ha |
| 2023 | 4 ha | 24 ha | 28 ha |
| 2024 | 4 ha | 409 ha | 413 ha |
| 2025 | 4 ha | 162 ha | 165 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Gqeberha?
- Wildfirescan grow back83% · 1,940 ha
- Loggingcan grow back8.8% · 206 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good7.1% · 167 ha
Also: farms, pasture and plantations, mining and energy, 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
- 1,780 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 1,390 ha
- Overall change
- −392 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Gqeberha shrank from about 1,780 hectares to 1,390 hectares, a net loss of about 392 hectares (−22%). New forest grew on about 210 hectares, but 602 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 Gqeberha
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Bhisho210.0 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 28%
- Air quality
- 22
- Mdantsane230.8 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 42%
- Air quality
- 31
- East London237.5 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 29%
- Air quality
- 31
- Queenstown257.8 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 19%
- Air quality
- 33
- George290.8 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 32%
- Air quality
- 37
Also compared:Gqeberha vs PretoriaGqeberha vs JohannesburgGqeberha vs Cape TownGqeberha vs Durban
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Frequently asked
Questions about Gqeberha
What is the air quality (AQI) in Gqeberha right now?
The latest reading for Gqeberha shows an AQI of 62 (Moderate), observed Nov 11, 02:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 2 ground-station cities within 245 km, 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 Gqeberha today?
At AQI 62 (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 Gqeberha been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Gqeberha's daily AQI at 52 on average, from 38 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 94 on Nov 10. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Gqeberha lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Gqeberha has lost about 2,350 hectares of forest (about 3,300 football pitches): 55% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to wildfires, so much of it can grow back. About 198 hectares (8.4%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Forest loss is slowing down: about 130 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 188 hectares a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Gqeberha shrank from about 1,780 hectares to 1,390 hectares, a net loss of about 392 hectares (−22%). New forest grew on about 210 hectares, but 602 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Gqeberha?
Gqeberha has an estimated 54,547 trees across the 10.29 km² of land measured — 21.2% tree cover, 9 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Gqeberha need?
Gqeberha needs roughly 22,642 more trees to close a 9-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 498.1 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Gqeberha'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 Gqeberha Central; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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