City report · Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany
Karlsruhe Air quality today
Air quality in Karlsruhe currently reads AQI 79 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 79
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 24.2
- tree cover
- 42.3%
- trees in this area
- 132K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 2 km radius around Innenstadt-Ost, Karlsruhe, Germany (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 25, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Karlsruhe · AQI 79 (Moderate)
Karlsruhe's tree count comes to 132,491 trees across 12.53 km² of land, already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Karlsruhe today: AQI 79, 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 · Karlsruhe, Rudolfstrasse, 1.2 km away
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
24.2
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, Ogelpre
- 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 Karlsruhe's daily AQI at 76 on average, from 48 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 99 on Nov 7.
Where Karlsruhe stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Karlsruhe: Healthy tree cover
42.3% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.53 km² of land.
Trees in this area
132,491
Target trees
132,491
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Karlsruhe lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Karlsruhe has lost about 244 hectares of forest (about 340 football pitches): 2.1% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 33 hectares (13%) 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
- 244 haabout 340 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 2.1%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 33 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2010, when about 22 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 | 6 ha | 6 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 2 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2004 | 1 ha | 16 ha | 17 ha |
| 2005 | 3 ha | 7 ha | 9 ha |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | 6 ha | 6 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | 5 ha | 5 ha |
| 2008 | 4 ha | 14 ha | 18 ha |
| 2009 | 3 ha | 9 ha | 12 ha |
| 2010 | 4 ha | 17 ha | 22 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | 7 ha | 7 ha |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | 6 ha | 7 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | 4 ha | 4 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | 5 ha | 6 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | 3 ha | 3 ha |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | 6 ha | 7 ha |
| 2017 | 2 ha | 8 ha | 10 ha |
| 2018 | 2 ha | 19 ha | 20 ha |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | 18 ha | 18 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | 10 ha | 11 ha |
| 2021 | 4 ha | 9 ha | 13 ha |
| 2022 | 2 ha | 11 ha | 12 ha |
| 2023 | 1 ha | 14 ha | 15 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | 5 ha | 6 ha |
| 2025 | 1 ha | 6 ha | 7 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Karlsruhe?
- Loggingcan grow back81% · 197 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good12% · 29 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good1.3% · 3 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
- 16,200 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 16,400 ha
- Overall change
- +161 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Karlsruhe stayed about the same size, at about 16,400 hectares: new forest grew on about 279 hectares, and about 118 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 Karlsruhe
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Pforzheim25.6 km
Germany
- Tree cover
- 48%
- Air quality
- 60
- Heidelberg48.9 km
Germany
- Tree cover
- 54%
- Air quality
- 93
- Mannheim53.5 km
Germany
- Tree cover
- 22%
- Air quality
- 64
- Heilbronn61.2 km
Germany
- Tree cover
- 33%
- Air quality
- 80
- Stuttgart61.9 km
Germany
- Tree cover
- 41%
- Air quality
- 81
- Strasbourg67.6 km
France
- Tree cover
- 26%
- Air quality
- 148
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Frequently asked
Questions about Karlsruhe
What is the air quality (AQI) in Karlsruhe right now?
The latest reading for Karlsruhe shows an AQI of 79 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 17:00 local time by the Karlsruhe, Rudolfstrasse ground monitoring station, 1.2 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 Karlsruhe today?
At AQI 79 (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 Karlsruhe been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Karlsruhe's daily AQI at 76 on average, from 48 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 99 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 Karlsruhe lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Karlsruhe has lost about 244 hectares of forest (about 340 football pitches): 2.1% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 33 hectares (13%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Karlsruhe stayed about the same size, at about 16,400 hectares: new forest grew on about 279 hectares, and about 118 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Karlsruhe?
Karlsruhe has an estimated 132,491 trees across the 12.53 km² of land measured — 42.3% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Karlsruhe need?
Karlsruhe has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Karlsruhe's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Innenstadt-Ost, 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 Innenstadt-Ost; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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