City report · Malawi
Lilongwe Air quality today
Air quality in Lilongwe currently reads AQI 93 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 93
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 31.4
- tree cover
- 35.4%
- trees in this area
- 111K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 2 km radius around Area 40, Lilongwe, Malawi (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Nov 8, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Lilongwe · AQI 93 (Moderate)
Lilongwe's tree count comes to 111,212 trees across 12.57 km², already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Lilongwe today: AQI 93, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 18:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Game Complex, Lilongwe, 2.8 km away · median of 2 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
31.4
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, MUBAS Air Quality
- 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 Lilongwe's daily AQI at 61 on average, from 37 on Nov 10 to an hourly peak of 77 on Nov 4.
Where Lilongwe stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Lilongwe: Healthy tree cover
35.4% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
111,212
Target trees
111,212
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Lilongwe lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Lilongwe has lost about 77 hectares of forest (about 110 football pitches): 9.3% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (98%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from September 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 77 haabout 110 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 9.3%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 76 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2010, when about 11 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 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2002 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2003 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2004 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2005 | 6 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2006 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2007 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2008 | 6 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2009 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2010 | 11 ha | under 1 ha | 11 ha |
| 2011 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2017 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2018 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2019 | 6 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2021 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2022 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2023 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Lilongwe?
- Towns and roadscleared for good72% · 56 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good26% · 20 ha
- Unknown causescause unknown2.2% · 2 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
- 2,600 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 2,160 ha
- Overall change
- −432 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Lilongwe shrank from about 2,600 hectares to 2,160 hectares, a net loss of about 432 hectares (−17%). New forest grew on about 152 hectares, but 583 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 Lilongwe
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Chipata128.3 km
Zambia
- Tree cover
- 20%
- Air quality
- 29
- Lichinga173.1 km
Mozambique
- Tree cover
- 7%
- Air quality
- 81
- Mandimba205.4 km
Mozambique
- Tree cover
- 10%
- Air quality
- 51
- Tete244.4 km
Mozambique
- Tree cover
- 12%
- Air quality
- 72
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Frequently asked
Questions about Lilongwe
What is the air quality (AQI) in Lilongwe right now?
The latest reading for Lilongwe shows an AQI of 93 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 18:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Game Complex, Lilongwe, 2.8 km away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Lilongwe today?
At AQI 93 (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 Lilongwe been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Lilongwe's daily AQI at 61 on average, from 37 on Nov 10 to an hourly peak of 77 on Nov 4. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Lilongwe lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Lilongwe has lost about 77 hectares of forest (about 110 football pitches): 9.3% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (98%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Lilongwe shrank from about 2,600 hectares to 2,160 hectares, a net loss of about 432 hectares (−17%). New forest grew on about 152 hectares, but 583 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Lilongwe?
Lilongwe has an estimated 111,212 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 35.4% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Lilongwe need?
Lilongwe has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Lilongwe's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Area 40, 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 Area 40; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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