City report · Kasai, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Ilebo Air quality today
Air quality in Ilebo currently reads AQI 15 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
AQI 15
Air quality right now
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 2.5
- tree cover
- 34.2%
- trees in this area
- 103K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 2 km radius around Ilebo, Democratic Republic of the Congo (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 19, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Ilebo · AQI 15 (Good)
Ilebo's tree count comes to 103,467 trees across 12.1 km² of land, already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Ilebo today: AQI 15, Good
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 13:00 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
2.5
PM10
2.6
NO₂
0.1
O₃
40.0
SO₂
0.2
CO
162.0
- 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 Ilebo's daily AQI at 41 on average, from 22 on Nov 11 to an hourly peak of 62 on Nov 8.
Where Ilebo stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Ilebo: Healthy tree cover
34.2% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.1 km² of land.
Trees in this area
103,467
Target trees
103,467
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Ilebo lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Ilebo has lost about 10,400 hectares of forest (about 15,000 football pitches): 37% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to shifting farming, so much of it can grow back. About 627 hectares (6%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from September 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 5 km northwest of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 10,400 haabout 15,000 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 37%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 627 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss is speeding up: about 681 hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 537 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2022, when about 1,040 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 | 4 ha | 115 ha | 119 ha |
| 2002 | 2 ha | 79 ha | 81 ha |
| 2003 | 2 ha | 48 ha | 50 ha |
| 2004 | 83 ha | 399 ha | 481 ha |
| 2005 | 50 ha | 434 ha | 484 ha |
| 2006 | 17 ha | 221 ha | 238 ha |
| 2007 | 2 ha | 43 ha | 45 ha |
| 2008 | 43 ha | 281 ha | 323 ha |
| 2009 | 16 ha | 338 ha | 353 ha |
| 2010 | 52 ha | 469 ha | 521 ha |
| 2011 | 16 ha | 132 ha | 147 ha |
| 2012 | 72 ha | 519 ha | 591 ha |
| 2013 | 25 ha | 282 ha | 307 ha |
| 2014 | 31 ha | 393 ha | 424 ha |
| 2015 | 4 ha | 142 ha | 145 ha |
| 2016 | 9 ha | 392 ha | 401 ha |
| 2017 | 13 ha | 537 ha | 550 ha |
| 2018 | 19 ha | 334 ha | 353 ha |
| 2019 | 25 ha | 759 ha | 784 ha |
| 2020 | 11 ha | 585 ha | 596 ha |
| 2021 | 29 ha | 658 ha | 687 ha |
| 2022 | 37 ha | 998 ha | 1,040 ha |
| 2023 | 29 ha | 690 ha | 719 ha |
| 2024 | 14 ha | 355 ha | 369 ha |
| 2025 | 24 ha | 573 ha | 597 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Ilebo?
- Shifting farmingcan grow back92% · 9,520 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good4.9% · 509 ha
- Storms, floods and other natural causescan grow back2.4% · 250 ha
Also: towns and roads.
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
- 16,900 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 14,000 ha
- Overall change
- −2,850 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Ilebo shrank from about 16,900 hectares to 14,000 hectares, a net loss of about 2,850 hectares (−17%). New forest grew on about 455 hectares, but 3,310 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 Ilebo
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Kikwit211.5 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 44%
- Air quality
- 47
- Tshikapa233.1 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 36%
- Air quality
- 34
- Kananga267.2 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 39%
- Air quality
- 51
- Chitato336.1 km
Angola
- Tree cover
- 33%
- Air quality
- 37
- Dundo338.5 km
Angola
- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 51
- Bandundu Province373.1 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 28%
- Air quality
- 46
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Frequently asked
Questions about Ilebo
What is the air quality (AQI) in Ilebo right now?
The latest reading for Ilebo shows an AQI of 15 (Good), observed Nov 11, 13:00 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 Ilebo today?
At AQI 15 (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 Ilebo been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Ilebo's daily AQI at 41 on average, from 22 on Nov 11 to an hourly peak of 62 on Nov 8. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Ilebo lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Ilebo has lost about 10,400 hectares of forest (about 15,000 football pitches): 37% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to shifting farming, so much of it can grow back. About 627 hectares (6%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Forest loss is speeding up: about 681 hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 537 hectares a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Ilebo shrank from about 16,900 hectares to 14,000 hectares, a net loss of about 2,850 hectares (−17%). New forest grew on about 455 hectares, but 3,310 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Ilebo?
Ilebo has an estimated 103,467 trees across the 12.1 km² of land measured — 34.2% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Ilebo need?
Ilebo has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Ilebo'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 Ilebo; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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