City report · Uganda
Gulu Air quality today
Air quality in Gulu currently reads AQI 33 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
AQI 33
Air quality right now
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 5.7
- tree cover
- 38.1%
- trees in this area
- 120K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 2 km radius around Gulu, Uganda (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Aug 31, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Gulu · AQI 33 (Good)
Gulu's tree count comes to 119,695 trees across 12.57 km², already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Gulu today: AQI 33, Good
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 10, 18:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Model estimate · no ground station nearby
Health signal
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
PM2.5
5.7
PM10
6.3
NO₂
1.5
O₃
52.0
SO₂
0.2
CO
183.0
- Outdoor exercise
- A good day to be active outside
- Windows
- Open them to air the house
- Mask
- Not needed
- Air purifier
- Not needed
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Gulu's daily AQI at 59 on average, from 51 on Nov 10 to an hourly peak of 93 on Nov 4.
Where Gulu stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Gulu: Healthy tree cover
38.1% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
119,695
Target trees
119,695
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Gulu lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Gulu has lost about 333 hectares of forest (about 470 football pitches): 5.2% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (92%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
2017: satellite photo from January 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 333 haabout 470 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 5.2%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 308 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2009, when about 47 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 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2002 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2003 | 9 ha | under 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2004 | 19 ha | 1 ha | 20 ha |
| 2005 | 13 ha | under 1 ha | 13 ha |
| 2006 | 32 ha | 1 ha | 33 ha |
| 2007 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2008 | 16 ha | 1 ha | 17 ha |
| 2009 | 45 ha | 2 ha | 47 ha |
| 2010 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2011 | 42 ha | under 1 ha | 43 ha |
| 2012 | 39 ha | 1 ha | 41 ha |
| 2013 | 6 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2014 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2016 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2017 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2018 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2019 | 2 ha | 4 ha | 6 ha |
| 2020 | 5 ha | 2 ha | 6 ha |
| 2021 | 15 ha | 2 ha | 18 ha |
| 2022 | 6 ha | 2 ha | 8 ha |
| 2023 | 8 ha | 2 ha | 11 ha |
| 2024 | 13 ha | 3 ha | 16 ha |
| 2025 | 12 ha | 2 ha | 14 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Gulu?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good83% · 276 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good9.6% · 32 ha
- Loggingcan grow back5.7% · 19 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
- 2,620 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 2,690 ha
- Overall change
- +76 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Gulu grew from about 2,620 hectares to 2,690 hectares, a net gain of about 76 hectares (+2.9%). New forest grew on about 445 hectares, while 370 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 Gulu
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Masindi138.5 km
Uganda
- Tree cover
- 57%
- Air quality
- 63
- Hoima182.5 km
Uganda
- Tree cover
- 53%
- Air quality
- 96
- Yei232.3 km
South Sudan
- Tree cover
- 34%
- Air quality
- 62
- Juba244.3 km
South Sudan
- Tree cover
- 9%
- Air quality
- 61
- Mityana263.9 km
Uganda
- Tree cover
- 73%
- Air quality
- 60
Also compared:Gulu vs KampalaGulu vs MbararaGulu vs Njeru
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Frequently asked
Questions about Gulu
What is the air quality (AQI) in Gulu right now?
The latest reading for Gulu shows an AQI of 33 (Good), observed Nov 10, 18:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Gulu today?
At AQI 33 (Good): a good day to be active outside. Windows: open them to air the house. Masks: not needed. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.
What has the air quality in Gulu been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Gulu's daily AQI at 59 on average, from 51 on Nov 10 to an hourly peak of 93 on Nov 4. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Gulu lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Gulu has lost about 333 hectares of forest (about 470 football pitches): 5.2% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (92%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Gulu grew from about 2,620 hectares to 2,690 hectares, a net gain of about 76 hectares (+2.9%). New forest grew on about 445 hectares, while 370 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Gulu?
Gulu has an estimated 119,695 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 38.1% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Gulu need?
Gulu has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Gulu'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 Gulu; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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