City report · Israel
Jerusalem Air quality today
Air quality in Jerusalem currently reads AQI 53 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 53
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 10.1
- tree cover
- 12.6%
- trees in this area
- 39.6K
- more trees needed
- 54.7K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Jerusalem, Israel (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 16, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Jerusalem · AQI 53 (Moderate)
Jerusalem's tree count comes to 39,584 trees across 12.57 km², 17 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 54,664 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Jerusalem today: AQI 53, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 16:00 local time via World Air Quality Index Project ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Jerusalem, Efrat - the UN, Israel (ישראל,אפרתה -י''ם, ירושלים), 1.3 km away · median of 3 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
10.1
PM10
27.0
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: World Air Quality Index Project, Israel Ministry of Environmental Protection
- 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 Jerusalem's daily AQI at 45 on average, from 28 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 74 on Nov 4.
Where Jerusalem stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Jerusalem: Critically low
12.6% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
39,584
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
54,664
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,203 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Jerusalem lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Jerusalem has lost about 21 hectares of forest (about 29 football pitches): 5% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to wildfires, so much of it can grow back. About 7 hectares (35%) 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
- 21 haabout 29 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 5%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 7 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2013, when about 4 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 | under 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 | 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2005 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 2 ha |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | 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 | 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2013 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2014 | 1 ha | 2 ha | 3 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2017 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 2 ha |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Jerusalem?
- Wildfirescan grow back54% · 11 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good35% · 7 ha
- Loggingcan grow back8.7% · 2 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
- 1,340 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 1,460 ha
- Overall change
- +114 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Jerusalem grew from about 1,340 hectares to 1,460 hectares, a net gain of about 114 hectares (+8.5%). New forest grew on about 184 hectares, while 69 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 Jerusalem
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Hebron29.1 km
Palestinian Territory
- Tree cover
- 1%
- Air quality
- 33
- Reẖovot40.7 km
Israel
- Tree cover
- 15%
- Air quality
- 85
- Rishon LeTsiyyon46.1 km
Israel
- Tree cover
- 13%
- Air quality
- 72
- Petaẖ Tiqva47.2 km
Israel
- Tree cover
- 13%
- Air quality
- 62
- Nablus50.4 km
Palestinian Territory
- Tree cover
- 3%
- Air quality
- 52
Also compared:Jerusalem vs Tel AvivJerusalem vs HaifaJerusalem vs Netanya
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Frequently asked
Questions about Jerusalem
What is the air quality (AQI) in Jerusalem right now?
The latest reading for Jerusalem shows an AQI of 53 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 16:00 local time by 3 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Jerusalem, Efrat - the UN, Israel (ישראל,אפרתה -י''ם, ירושלים), 1.3 km away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Jerusalem today?
At AQI 53 (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 Jerusalem been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Jerusalem's daily AQI at 45 on average, from 28 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 74 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 Jerusalem lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Jerusalem has lost about 21 hectares of forest (about 29 football pitches): 5% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to wildfires, so much of it can grow back. About 7 hectares (35%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Jerusalem grew from about 1,340 hectares to 1,460 hectares, a net gain of about 114 hectares (+8.5%). New forest grew on about 184 hectares, while 69 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Jerusalem?
Jerusalem has an estimated 39,584 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 12.6% tree cover, 17 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Jerusalem need?
Jerusalem needs roughly 54,664 more trees to close a 17-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,203 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Jerusalem's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Jerusalem, 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 Jerusalem; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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