City report · Sierra Leone
Kenema Air quality today
Air quality in Kenema currently reads AQI 82 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 82
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 23.8
- tree cover
- 28.5%
- trees in this area
- 89.5K
- more trees needed
- 4.7K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Kenema, Sierra Leone (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of May 2, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Kenema · AQI 82 (Moderate)
Kenema's tree count comes to 89,535 trees across 12.57 km², 2 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 4,712 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Kenema today: AQI 82, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 11:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 2 ground-station cities within 245 km, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Estimate · model corrected with 2 station cities within 245 km, e.g. Monrovia and Freetown
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
23.8
PM10
16.2
NO₂
1.3
O₃
55.0
SO₂
0.4
CO
183.0
- 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 Kenema's daily AQI at 52 on average, from 42 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 69 on Nov 10.
Where Kenema stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Kenema: Below target
28.5% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
89,535
Target trees
94,247
More trees needed
4,712
CO₂ if planted / yr
103.7 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Kenema lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Kenema has lost about 11,100 hectares of forest (about 15,000 football pitches): 40% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to shifting farming, so much of it can grow back. About 3,340 hectares (30%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from March 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km west of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 11,100 haabout 15,000 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 40%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 3,340 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss is slowing down: about 495 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 771 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2018, when about 962 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 | 263 ha | 196 ha | 459 ha |
| 2002 | 63 ha | 79 ha | 142 ha |
| 2003 | 25 ha | 27 ha | 52 ha |
| 2004 | 4 ha | 6 ha | 10 ha |
| 2005 | 87 ha | 28 ha | 115 ha |
| 2006 | 210 ha | 129 ha | 339 ha |
| 2007 | 61 ha | 80 ha | 141 ha |
| 2008 | 93 ha | 134 ha | 227 ha |
| 2009 | 127 ha | 157 ha | 284 ha |
| 2010 | 45 ha | 42 ha | 86 ha |
| 2011 | 91 ha | 83 ha | 174 ha |
| 2012 | 58 ha | 133 ha | 191 ha |
| 2013 | 243 ha | 466 ha | 709 ha |
| 2014 | 315 ha | 552 ha | 867 ha |
| 2015 | 256 ha | 674 ha | 930 ha |
| 2016 | 191 ha | 537 ha | 728 ha |
| 2017 | 227 ha | 728 ha | 955 ha |
| 2018 | 208 ha | 754 ha | 962 ha |
| 2019 | 154 ha | 568 ha | 722 ha |
| 2020 | 97 ha | 389 ha | 486 ha |
| 2021 | 92 ha | 353 ha | 445 ha |
| 2022 | 88 ha | 450 ha | 538 ha |
| 2023 | 85 ha | 413 ha | 498 ha |
| 2024 | 135 ha | 400 ha | 535 ha |
| 2025 | 124 ha | 337 ha | 461 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Kenema?
- Shifting farmingcan grow back70% · 7,710 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good23% · 2,510 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good7.5% · 830 ha
Also: logging, 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
- 26,300 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 22,600 ha
- Overall change
- −3,710 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Kenema shrank from about 26,300 hectares to 22,600 hectares, a net loss of about 3,710 hectares (−14%). New forest grew on about 827 hectares, but 4,540 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 Kenema
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Makeni146.3 km
Sierra Leone
- Tree cover
- 13%
- Air quality
- 90
- Kakata175.8 km
Liberia
- Tree cover
- 34%
- Air quality
- 40
- Monrovia180.6 km
Liberia
- Tree cover
- 25%
- Air quality
- 86
- Kissidougou188.5 km
Guinea
- Tree cover
- 29%
- Air quality
- 72
Also compared:Kenema vs Freetown
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Frequently asked
Questions about Kenema
What is the air quality (AQI) in Kenema right now?
The latest reading for Kenema shows an AQI of 82 (Moderate), observed Nov 11, 11:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 2 ground-station cities within 245 km, 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 Kenema today?
At AQI 82 (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 Kenema been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Kenema's daily AQI at 52 on average, from 42 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 69 on Nov 10. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Kenema lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Kenema has lost about 11,100 hectares of forest (about 15,000 football pitches): 40% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to shifting farming, so much of it can grow back. About 3,340 hectares (30%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Forest loss is slowing down: about 495 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 771 hectares a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Kenema shrank from about 26,300 hectares to 22,600 hectares, a net loss of about 3,710 hectares (−14%). New forest grew on about 827 hectares, but 4,540 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Kenema?
Kenema has an estimated 89,535 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 28.5% tree cover, 2 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Kenema need?
Kenema needs roughly 4,712 more trees to close a 2-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 103.7 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Kenema'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 Kenema; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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