City report · Kwilu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Kikwit Air quality today
Air quality in Kikwit currently reads AQI 47 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
AQI 47
Air quality right now
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 7.3
- tree cover
- 43.6%
- trees in this area
- 137K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 2 km radius around Kikwit, Democratic Republic of the Congo (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 25, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Kikwit · AQI 47 (Good)
Kikwit's tree count comes to 136,699 trees across 12.54 km² of land, already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Kikwit today: AQI 47, Good
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 09:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Model estimate · no ground station nearby
Health signal
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
PM2.5
7.3
PM10
7.5
NO₂
0.7
O₃
53.0
SO₂
0.4
CO
205.0
- Outdoor exercise
- A good day to be active outside
- Windows
- Open them to air the house
- Mask
- Not needed
- Air purifier
- Not needed
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Kikwit's daily AQI at 50 on average, from 45 on Nov 9 to an hourly peak of 87 on Nov 9.
Where Kikwit stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Kikwit: Healthy tree cover
43.6% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.54 km² of land.
Trees in this area
136,699
Target trees
136,699
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Kikwit lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Kikwit has lost about 1,980 hectares of forest (about 2,800 football pitches): 10% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to shifting farming, so much of it can grow back. About 788 hectares (40%) 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 northeast of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1,980 haabout 2,800 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 10%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 788 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 122 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 118 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2021, when about 255 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 | 19 ha | 12 ha | 31 ha |
| 2002 | 3 ha | 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2003 | 46 ha | 17 ha | 63 ha |
| 2004 | 5 ha | 2 ha | 7 ha |
| 2005 | 14 ha | 8 ha | 23 ha |
| 2006 | 30 ha | 24 ha | 54 ha |
| 2007 | 74 ha | 30 ha | 104 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2009 | 1 ha | 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2010 | 62 ha | 47 ha | 109 ha |
| 2011 | 14 ha | 12 ha | 26 ha |
| 2012 | 52 ha | 64 ha | 116 ha |
| 2013 | 36 ha | 89 ha | 125 ha |
| 2014 | 30 ha | 52 ha | 81 ha |
| 2015 | 14 ha | 21 ha | 36 ha |
| 2016 | 28 ha | 66 ha | 94 ha |
| 2017 | 36 ha | 114 ha | 150 ha |
| 2018 | 15 ha | 62 ha | 77 ha |
| 2019 | 48 ha | 70 ha | 118 ha |
| 2020 | 84 ha | 67 ha | 151 ha |
| 2021 | 45 ha | 210 ha | 255 ha |
| 2022 | 25 ha | 48 ha | 73 ha |
| 2023 | 13 ha | 27 ha | 40 ha |
| 2024 | 26 ha | 30 ha | 56 ha |
| 2025 | 68 ha | 120 ha | 188 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Kikwit?
- Shifting farmingcan grow back60% · 1,190 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good25% · 486 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good15% · 302 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
- 6,490 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 6,010 ha
- Overall change
- −477 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Kikwit shrank from about 6,490 hectares to 6,010 hectares, a net loss of about 477 hectares (−7.4%). New forest grew on about 483 hectares, but 960 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 Kikwit
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Ilebo211.5 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 34%
- Air quality
- 15
- Bandundu Province249.2 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 28%
- Air quality
- 46
- Tshikapa267.5 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 36%
- Air quality
- 34
- Chitato338.7 km
Angola
- Tree cover
- 33%
- Air quality
- 37
- Dundo340.2 km
Angola
- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 51
- Masina386.5 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 21%
- Air quality
- 93
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Frequently asked
Questions about Kikwit
What is the air quality (AQI) in Kikwit right now?
The latest reading for Kikwit shows an AQI of 47 (Good), observed Nov 11, 09:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Kikwit today?
At AQI 47 (Good): a good day to be active outside. Windows: open them to air the house. Masks: not needed. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.
What has the air quality in Kikwit been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Kikwit's daily AQI at 50 on average, from 45 on Nov 9 to an hourly peak of 87 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 Kikwit lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Kikwit has lost about 1,980 hectares of forest (about 2,800 football pitches): 10% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to shifting farming, so much of it can grow back. About 788 hectares (40%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 122 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 118 hectares a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Kikwit shrank from about 6,490 hectares to 6,010 hectares, a net loss of about 477 hectares (−7.4%). New forest grew on about 483 hectares, but 960 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Kikwit?
Kikwit has an estimated 136,699 trees across the 12.54 km² of land measured — 43.6% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Kikwit need?
Kikwit has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Kikwit'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 Kikwit; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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