City report · The Netherlands
Groningen Air quality today
Air quality in Groningen currently reads AQI 77 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 77
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 22.9
- tree cover
- 31.0%
- trees in this area
- 96.4K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 2 km radius around Grote Markt, Groningen, Netherlands (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 16, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Groningen · AQI 77 (Moderate)
Groningen's tree count comes to 96,415 trees across 12.44 km² of land, already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Groningen today: AQI 77, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 16:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Groningen-Europaweg, 800 m away · median of 4 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
22.9
PM10
28.2
NO₂
9.2
O₃
41.9
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · EEA, Netherlands, RIVM · Luchtmeetnet
- 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 Groningen's daily AQI at 61 on average, from 33 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 91 on Nov 10.
Where Groningen stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Groningen: Healthy tree cover
31.0% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.44 km² of land.
Trees in this area
96,415
Target trees
96,415
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Groningen lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Groningen has lost about 42 hectares of forest (about 59 football pitches): 1.5% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was farms, pasture and plantations (39%). About 21 hectares (50%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from August 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 42 haabout 59 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 1.5%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 21 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2016, 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 | 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 | 1 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2015 | 6 ha | under 1 ha | 7 ha |
| 2016 | 9 ha | under 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2017 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2018 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | 6 ha | 7 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 2 ha |
| 2024 | 1 ha | 2 ha | 3 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 1 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Groningen?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good39% · 16 ha
- Loggingcan grow back26% · 11 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good11% · 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
- 1,470 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 1,870 ha
- Overall change
- +394 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Groningen grew from about 1,470 hectares to 1,870 hectares, a net gain of about 394 hectares (+27%). New forest grew on about 517 hectares, while 122 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 Groningen
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Leeuwarden50.4 km
The Netherlands
- Tree cover
- 27%
- Air quality
- 104
- Zwolle84.7 km
The Netherlands
- Tree cover
- 31%
- Air quality
- 105
- Oldenburg110.2 km
Germany
- Tree cover
- 43%
- Air quality
- 96
- Enschede113.5 km
The Netherlands
- Tree cover
- 24%
- Air quality
- 69
- Apeldoorn119.2 km
The Netherlands
- Tree cover
- 34%
- Air quality
- 75
- Almere Stad131.1 km
The Netherlands
- Tree cover
- 34%
- Air quality
- 106
Also compared:Groningen vs AmsterdamGroningen vs RotterdamGroningen vs UtrechtGroningen vs Eindhoven
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Frequently asked
Questions about Groningen
What is the air quality (AQI) in Groningen right now?
The latest reading for Groningen shows an AQI of 77 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 16:00 local time by 4 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Groningen-Europaweg, 800 m away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Groningen today?
At AQI 77 (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 Groningen been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Groningen's daily AQI at 61 on average, from 33 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 91 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 Groningen lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Groningen has lost about 42 hectares of forest (about 59 football pitches): 1.5% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was farms, pasture and plantations (39%). About 21 hectares (50%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Groningen grew from about 1,470 hectares to 1,870 hectares, a net gain of about 394 hectares (+27%). New forest grew on about 517 hectares, while 122 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Groningen?
Groningen has an estimated 96,415 trees across the 12.44 km² of land measured — 31.0% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Groningen need?
Groningen has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Groningen's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Grote Markt, 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 2 km radius around Grote Markt; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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