City report · Democratic Republic of the Congo
Kindu Air quality today
Air quality in Kindu currently reads AQI 21 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
AQI 21
Air quality right now
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 3.3
- tree cover
- 24.8%
- trees in this area
- 62.7K
- more trees needed
- 13.2K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Kindu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 11, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Kindu · AQI 21 (Good)
Kindu's tree count comes to 62,719 trees across 10.12 km² of land, 5 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 13,151 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Kindu today: AQI 21, Good
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 13:00 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
3.3
PM10
3.4
NO₂
0.1
O₃
39.0
SO₂
0.1
CO
151.0
- 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 Kindu's daily AQI at 46 on average, from 34 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 69 on Nov 5.
Where Kindu stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Kindu: Below target
24.8% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 10.12 km² of land.
Trees in this area
62,719
Target trees
75,870
More trees needed
13,151
CO₂ if planted / yr
289.3 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Kindu lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Kindu has lost about 16,900 hectares of forest (about 24,000 football pitches): 60% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to shifting farming, so much of it can grow back. About 2,770 hectares (16%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from May 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km southeast of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 16,900 haabout 24,000 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 60%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 2,770 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 604 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 799 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2008, when about 2,180 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 | 56 ha | 252 ha | 308 ha |
| 2002 | 122 ha | 61 ha | 183 ha |
| 2003 | 44 ha | 149 ha | 192 ha |
| 2004 | 97 ha | 363 ha | 460 ha |
| 2005 | 624 ha | 905 ha | 1,530 ha |
| 2006 | 16 ha | 190 ha | 206 ha |
| 2007 | 17 ha | 53 ha | 70 ha |
| 2008 | 792 ha | 1,380 ha | 2,180 ha |
| 2009 | 197 ha | 1,210 ha | 1,410 ha |
| 2010 | 28 ha | 167 ha | 195 ha |
| 2011 | 3 ha | 35 ha | 37 ha |
| 2012 | 44 ha | 202 ha | 246 ha |
| 2013 | 90 ha | 964 ha | 1,050 ha |
| 2014 | 128 ha | 1,320 ha | 1,450 ha |
| 2015 | 20 ha | 338 ha | 358 ha |
| 2016 | 174 ha | 1,290 ha | 1,460 ha |
| 2017 | 50 ha | 523 ha | 573 ha |
| 2018 | 55 ha | 608 ha | 662 ha |
| 2019 | 35 ha | 755 ha | 789 ha |
| 2020 | 34 ha | 479 ha | 513 ha |
| 2021 | 65 ha | 938 ha | 1,000 ha |
| 2022 | 31 ha | 716 ha | 747 ha |
| 2023 | 8 ha | 448 ha | 456 ha |
| 2024 | 25 ha | 450 ha | 475 ha |
| 2025 | 12 ha | 328 ha | 340 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Kindu?
- Shifting farmingcan grow back84% · 14,100 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good13% · 2,210 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good3.3% · 557 ha
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
- 12,600 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 9,290 ha
- Overall change
- −3,260 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Kindu shrank from about 12,600 hectares to 9,290 hectares, a net loss of about 3,260 hectares (−26%). New forest grew on about 1,130 hectares, but 4,390 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 Kindu
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Bukavu328.3 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 12%
- Air quality
- 38
- Cibitoke355.7 km
Burundi
- Tree cover
- 5%
- Air quality
- 61
- Uvira360.5 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 10%
- Air quality
- 52
- Bujumbura384.9 km
Burundi
- Tree cover
- 15%
- Air quality
- 73
- Kabinda389.4 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 51%
- Air quality
- 42
- Kisangani393.1 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 18%
- Air quality
- 40
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Frequently asked
Questions about Kindu
What is the air quality (AQI) in Kindu right now?
The latest reading for Kindu shows an AQI of 21 (Good), observed Nov 11, 13:00 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 Kindu today?
At AQI 21 (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 Kindu been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Kindu's daily AQI at 46 on average, from 34 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 69 on Nov 5. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Kindu lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Kindu has lost about 16,900 hectares of forest (about 24,000 football pitches): 60% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to shifting farming, so much of it can grow back. About 2,770 hectares (16%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 604 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 799 hectares a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Kindu shrank from about 12,600 hectares to 9,290 hectares, a net loss of about 3,260 hectares (−26%). New forest grew on about 1,130 hectares, but 4,390 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Kindu?
Kindu has an estimated 62,719 trees across the 10.12 km² of land measured — 24.8% tree cover, 5 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Kindu need?
Kindu needs roughly 13,151 more trees to close a 5-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 289.3 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Kindu'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 Kindu; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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