City report · Democratic Republic of the Congo
Kananga Air quality today
Air quality in Kananga currently reads AQI 51 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 51
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 9.4
- tree cover
- 39.0%
- trees in this area
- 123K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 2 km radius around Kananga, 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.
Kananga · AQI 51 (Moderate)
Kananga's tree count comes to 122,522 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 Kananga today: AQI 51, Moderate
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
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
9.4
PM10
9.5
NO₂
1.3
O₃
45.0
SO₂
0.2
CO
221.0
- 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 Kananga's daily AQI at 46 on average, from 33 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 62 on Nov 7.
Where Kananga stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Kananga: Healthy tree cover
39.0% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
122,522
Target trees
122,522
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Kananga lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Kananga has lost about 3,520 hectares of forest (about 4,900 football pitches): 27% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to shifting farming, so much of it can grow back. About 902 hectares (26%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km north of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 3,520 haabout 4,900 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 27%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 902 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 181 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 164 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2010, when about 351 hectares of forest were lost.
Kananga's full deforestation reportHectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 33 ha | 157 ha | 190 ha |
| 2002 | 84 ha | 103 ha | 187 ha |
| 2003 | 5 ha | 5 ha | 10 ha |
| 2004 | 49 ha | 76 ha | 125 ha |
| 2005 | 30 ha | 67 ha | 97 ha |
| 2006 | 19 ha | 61 ha | 81 ha |
| 2007 | 3 ha | 12 ha | 15 ha |
| 2008 | 28 ha | 109 ha | 137 ha |
| 2009 | 11 ha | 31 ha | 43 ha |
| 2010 | 127 ha | 224 ha | 351 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 2 ha |
| 2012 | 32 ha | 54 ha | 86 ha |
| 2013 | 29 ha | 97 ha | 126 ha |
| 2014 | 47 ha | 189 ha | 236 ha |
| 2015 | 17 ha | 88 ha | 105 ha |
| 2016 | 27 ha | 96 ha | 123 ha |
| 2017 | 45 ha | 239 ha | 284 ha |
| 2018 | 37 ha | 150 ha | 187 ha |
| 2019 | 16 ha | 60 ha | 75 ha |
| 2020 | 52 ha | 100 ha | 152 ha |
| 2021 | 63 ha | 137 ha | 200 ha |
| 2022 | 35 ha | 109 ha | 144 ha |
| 2023 | 48 ha | 150 ha | 198 ha |
| 2024 | 40 ha | 171 ha | 211 ha |
| 2025 | 25 ha | 127 ha | 152 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Kananga?
- Shifting farmingcan grow back74% · 2,610 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good17% · 609 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good7.8% · 274 ha
Also: mining and energy, storms, floods and other natural causes, 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
- 8,270 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 8,050 ha
- Overall change
- −221 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Kananga shrank from about 8,270 hectares to 8,050 hectares, a net loss of about 221 hectares (−2.7%). New forest grew on about 399 hectares, but 620 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 Kananga
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Mwene-Ditu168.6 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 35%
- Air quality
- 54
- Gandajika194.3 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 45%
- Air quality
- 54
- Kabinda230.0 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 51%
- Air quality
- 42
- Chitato238.9 km
Angola
- Tree cover
- 33%
- Air quality
- 37
Also compared:Kananga vs KinshasaKananga vs LubumbashiKananga vs Kisangani
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Frequently asked
Questions about Kananga
What is the air quality (AQI) in Kananga right now?
The latest reading for Kananga shows an AQI of 51 (Moderate), observed Nov 10, 18:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Kananga today?
At AQI 51 (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 Kananga been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Kananga's daily AQI at 46 on average, from 33 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 62 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 Kananga lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Kananga has lost about 3,520 hectares of forest (about 4,900 football pitches): 27% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to shifting farming, so much of it can grow back. About 902 hectares (26%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 181 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 164 hectares a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Kananga shrank from about 8,270 hectares to 8,050 hectares, a net loss of about 221 hectares (−2.7%). New forest grew on about 399 hectares, but 620 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Kananga?
Kananga has an estimated 122,522 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 39.0% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Kananga need?
Kananga has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Kananga'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 Kananga; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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