City report · Haut-Katanga, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Kipushi Air quality today
Air quality in Kipushi currently reads AQI 53 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 53
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 10.3
- tree cover
- 3.2%
- trees in this area
- 10.1K
- more trees needed
- 84.2K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Kipushi, Democratic Republic of the Congo (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 23, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Kipushi · AQI 53 (Moderate)
Kipushi's tree count comes to 10,053 trees across 12.57 km², 27 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 84,195 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Kipushi today: AQI 53, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 10, 17:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Model estimate · no ground station nearby
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
10.3
PM10
12.5
NO₂
0.6
O₃
71.0
SO₂
0.5
CO
129.0
- 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 Kipushi's daily AQI at 63 on average, from 36 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 93 on Nov 6.
Where Kipushi stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Kipushi: Critically low
3.2% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
10,053
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
84,195
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,852 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Kipushi lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Kipushi has lost about 1,700 hectares of forest (about 2,400 football pitches): 24% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to shifting farming, so much of it can grow back. About 491 hectares (29%) 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 northwest of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1,700 haabout 2,400 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 24%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 491 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 117 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 120 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2024, when about 189 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 | 6 ha | 12 ha | 18 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2003 | 11 ha | 41 ha | 52 ha |
| 2004 | 4 ha | 8 ha | 12 ha |
| 2005 | 23 ha | 23 ha | 46 ha |
| 2006 | 6 ha | 1 ha | 7 ha |
| 2007 | 7 ha | 10 ha | 17 ha |
| 2008 | 13 ha | 4 ha | 17 ha |
| 2009 | 15 ha | 13 ha | 28 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2011 | 10 ha | under 1 ha | 11 ha |
| 2012 | 45 ha | 101 ha | 146 ha |
| 2013 | 17 ha | 39 ha | 56 ha |
| 2014 | 13 ha | 44 ha | 57 ha |
| 2015 | 15 ha | 39 ha | 54 ha |
| 2016 | 24 ha | 53 ha | 77 ha |
| 2017 | 22 ha | 85 ha | 107 ha |
| 2018 | 31 ha | 135 ha | 166 ha |
| 2019 | 34 ha | 82 ha | 116 ha |
| 2020 | 50 ha | 82 ha | 132 ha |
| 2021 | 36 ha | 65 ha | 101 ha |
| 2022 | 27 ha | 74 ha | 101 ha |
| 2023 | 19 ha | 67 ha | 86 ha |
| 2024 | 47 ha | 143 ha | 189 ha |
| 2025 | 17 ha | 91 ha | 108 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Kipushi?
- Shifting farmingcan grow back71% · 1,210 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good29% · 486 ha
Also: logging, mining and energy, towns and roads, 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
- 8,160 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 8,020 ha
- Overall change
- −141 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Kipushi stayed about the same size, at about 8,020 hectares: new forest grew on about 940 hectares, and about 1,080 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 Kipushi
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Lubumbashi27.2 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 12%
- Air quality
- 63
- Chililabombwe91.5 km
Zambia
- Tree cover
- 9%
- Air quality
- 52
- Likasi103.0 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 11%
- Air quality
- 56
- Solwezi104.1 km
Zambia
- Tree cover
- 10%
- Air quality
- 59
- Chingola109.6 km
Zambia
- Tree cover
- 17%
- Air quality
- 52
- Mufulira138.8 km
Zambia
- Tree cover
- 20%
- Air quality
- 47
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Frequently asked
Questions about Kipushi
What is the air quality (AQI) in Kipushi right now?
The latest reading for Kipushi shows an AQI of 53 (Moderate), observed Nov 10, 17:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, 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 Kipushi today?
At AQI 53 (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 Kipushi been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Kipushi's daily AQI at 63 on average, from 36 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 93 on Nov 6. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Kipushi lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Kipushi has lost about 1,700 hectares of forest (about 2,400 football pitches): 24% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to shifting farming, so much of it can grow back. About 491 hectares (29%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 117 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 120 hectares a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Kipushi stayed about the same size, at about 8,020 hectares: new forest grew on about 940 hectares, and about 1,080 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Kipushi?
Kipushi has an estimated 10,053 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 3.2% tree cover, 27 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Kipushi need?
Kipushi needs roughly 84,195 more trees to close a 27-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,852 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Kipushi'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 Kipushi; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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