City report · Lithuania
Kaunas Air quality today
Air quality in Kaunas currently reads AQI 88 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 88
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 29.2
- tree cover
- 34.2%
- trees in this area
- 102K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 2 km radius around Žaliakalnis, Kaunas, Kaunas City Municipality, Lithuania (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Aug 31, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Kaunas · AQI 88 (Moderate)
Kaunas's tree count comes to 101,533 trees across 11.88 km² of land, already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Kaunas today: AQI 88, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 15:00 local time via World Air Quality Index Project ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Kaunas Noreikiskes, Lithuania, 4.3 km away
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
29.2
PM10
36.7
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: World Air Quality Index Project, AAA - Aplinkos Apsaugos Agentūra (Lithuania Environmental Protection Agency, European Environment Agency
- 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 Kaunas's daily AQI at 41 on average, from 19 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 71 on Nov 9.
Where Kaunas stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Kaunas: Healthy tree cover
34.2% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 11.88 km² of land.
Trees in this area
101,533
Target trees
101,533
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Kaunas lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Kaunas has lost about 419 hectares of forest (about 590 football pitches): 6.6% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 117 hectares (28%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from August 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km north of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 419 haabout 590 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 6.6%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 117 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2011, when about 141 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 | 2 ha | 2 ha | 4 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 2 ha |
| 2003 | 1 ha | 3 ha | 4 ha |
| 2004 | 2 ha | 2 ha | 4 ha |
| 2005 | 4 ha | 4 ha | 8 ha |
| 2006 | 3 ha | 3 ha | 6 ha |
| 2007 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2008 | 2 ha | 7 ha | 9 ha |
| 2009 | 3 ha | 2 ha | 5 ha |
| 2010 | 4 ha | 11 ha | 15 ha |
| 2011 | 19 ha | 122 ha | 141 ha |
| 2012 | 2 ha | 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | 6 ha | 6 ha |
| 2014 | 1 ha | 6 ha | 7 ha |
| 2015 | 3 ha | 4 ha | 7 ha |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | 10 ha | 10 ha |
| 2017 | 9 ha | 13 ha | 22 ha |
| 2018 | 3 ha | 3 ha | 6 ha |
| 2019 | 11 ha | 10 ha | 21 ha |
| 2020 | 8 ha | 5 ha | 12 ha |
| 2021 | 5 ha | 26 ha | 31 ha |
| 2022 | 5 ha | 5 ha | 10 ha |
| 2023 | 15 ha | 11 ha | 26 ha |
| 2024 | 4 ha | 24 ha | 28 ha |
| 2025 | 9 ha | 20 ha | 29 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Kaunas?
- Loggingcan grow back69% · 288 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good27% · 112 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good1.3% · 5 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
- 5,320 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 5,650 ha
- Overall change
- +324 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Kaunas grew from about 5,320 hectares to 5,650 hectares, a net gain of about 324 hectares (+6.1%). New forest grew on about 457 hectares, while 132 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 Kaunas
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Panevėžys96.6 km
Lithuania
- Tree cover
- 25%
- Air quality
- 93
- Šiauliai120.7 km
Lithuania
- Tree cover
- 39%
- Air quality
- 83
- Hrodna136.4 km
Belarus
- Tree cover
- 32%
- Air quality
- 59
- Lida144.7 km
Belarus
- Tree cover
- 27%
- Air quality
- 53
- Jelgava194.8 km
Latvia
- Tree cover
- 22%
- Air quality
- 156
Also compared:Kaunas vs Klaipėda
Build your own
Compare Kaunas with anywhere
This place
Kaunas
Use this data
Put Kaunas's numbers on your site
Free to embed. Updates itself as the measurement refreshes.
Frequently asked
Questions about Kaunas
What is the air quality (AQI) in Kaunas right now?
The latest reading for Kaunas shows an AQI of 88 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 15:00 local time by the Kaunas Noreikiskes, Lithuania ground monitoring station, 4.3 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 Kaunas today?
At AQI 88 (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 Kaunas been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Kaunas's daily AQI at 41 on average, from 19 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 71 on Nov 9. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Kaunas lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Kaunas has lost about 419 hectares of forest (about 590 football pitches): 6.6% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 117 hectares (28%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Kaunas grew from about 5,320 hectares to 5,650 hectares, a net gain of about 324 hectares (+6.1%). New forest grew on about 457 hectares, while 132 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Kaunas?
Kaunas has an estimated 101,533 trees across the 11.88 km² of land measured — 34.2% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Kaunas need?
Kaunas has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Kaunas's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Žaliakalnis, 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 Žaliakalnis; 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