City report · Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany
Heidelberg Air quality today
Air quality in Heidelberg currently reads AQI 95 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 95
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 32.5
- tree cover
- 54.4%
- trees in this area
- 164K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 2 km radius around Bergheim, Heidelberg, Germany (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 25, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Heidelberg · AQI 95 (Moderate)
Heidelberg's tree count comes to 163,554 trees across 12.03 km² of land, already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Heidelberg today: AQI 95, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 17:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Römerstr. 43, 9 km away
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
32.5
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, Waldvision Nußloch
- 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 Heidelberg's daily AQI at 69 on average, from 45 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 90 on Nov 7.
Where Heidelberg stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Heidelberg: Healthy tree cover
54.4% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.03 km² of land.
Trees in this area
163,554
Target trees
163,554
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Heidelberg lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Heidelberg has lost about 594 hectares of forest (about 830 football pitches): 4.2% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 44 hectares (7.4%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from August 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 6 km northeast of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 594 haabout 830 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 4.2%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 44 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2023, when about 61 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 | 2 ha | 3 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2004 | 1 ha | 14 ha | 15 ha |
| 2005 | 2 ha | 19 ha | 21 ha |
| 2006 | 1 ha | 15 ha | 16 ha |
| 2007 | 2 ha | 36 ha | 38 ha |
| 2008 | 4 ha | 24 ha | 28 ha |
| 2009 | 3 ha | 20 ha | 22 ha |
| 2010 | 3 ha | 37 ha | 40 ha |
| 2011 | 3 ha | 8 ha | 10 ha |
| 2012 | 1 ha | 9 ha | 10 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | 13 ha | 14 ha |
| 2014 | 2 ha | 10 ha | 12 ha |
| 2015 | 4 ha | 2 ha | 6 ha |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | 5 ha | 5 ha |
| 2017 | 3 ha | 13 ha | 16 ha |
| 2018 | 2 ha | 29 ha | 30 ha |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | 50 ha | 51 ha |
| 2020 | 4 ha | 41 ha | 45 ha |
| 2021 | 2 ha | 43 ha | 45 ha |
| 2022 | 1 ha | 20 ha | 21 ha |
| 2023 | 1 ha | 60 ha | 61 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | 36 ha | 36 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | 44 ha | 45 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Heidelberg?
- Loggingcan grow back91% · 539 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good7.1% · 42 ha
- Unknown causescause unknown1.9% · 11 ha
Also: farms, pasture and plantations.
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
- 17,700 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 17,700 ha
- Overall change
- +28 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Heidelberg stayed about the same size, at about 17,700 hectares: new forest grew on about 154 hectares, and about 126 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 Heidelberg
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
Build your own
Compare Heidelberg with anywhere
This place
Heidelberg
Use this data
Put Heidelberg's numbers on your site
Free to embed. Updates itself as the measurement refreshes.
Frequently asked
Questions about Heidelberg
What is the air quality (AQI) in Heidelberg right now?
The latest reading for Heidelberg shows an AQI of 95 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 17:00 local time by the Römerstr. 43 ground monitoring station, 9 km away, via OpenAQ. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Heidelberg today?
At AQI 95 (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 Heidelberg been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Heidelberg's daily AQI at 69 on average, from 45 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 90 on Nov 7. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Heidelberg lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Heidelberg has lost about 594 hectares of forest (about 830 football pitches): 4.2% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 44 hectares (7.4%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Heidelberg stayed about the same size, at about 17,700 hectares: new forest grew on about 154 hectares, and about 126 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Heidelberg?
Heidelberg has an estimated 163,554 trees across the 12.03 km² of land measured — 54.4% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Heidelberg need?
Heidelberg has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Heidelberg's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Bergheim, 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 Bergheim; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
See your own area
What does your neighborhood look like?
Pick any point and radius to get the same air-quality and tree-cover breakdown.
Check my address