City report · Haut-Katanga, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Lubumbashi Air quality today
Air quality in Lubumbashi currently reads AQI 63 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 63
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 16.7
- tree cover
- 12.0%
- trees in this area
- 37.7K
- more trees needed
- 56.5K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 18, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Lubumbashi · AQI 63 (Moderate)
Lubumbashi's tree count comes to 37,699 trees across 12.57 km², 18 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 56,549 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Lubumbashi today: AQI 63, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 07:00 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
16.7
PM10
18.5
NO₂
2.2
O₃
63.0
SO₂
5.6
CO
207.0
- 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 Lubumbashi's daily AQI at 66 on average, from 39 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 94 on Nov 5.
Where Lubumbashi stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Lubumbashi: Critically low
12.0% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
37,699
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
56,549
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,244 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Lubumbashi lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Lubumbashi has lost about 124 hectares of forest (about 170 football pitches): 26% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (over 99%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from August 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 124 haabout 170 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 26%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 124 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2014, when about 21 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2003 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2005 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2006 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2007 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2008 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2009 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2011 | 7 ha | under 1 ha | 7 ha |
| 2012 | 18 ha | under 1 ha | 18 ha |
| 2013 | 9 ha | under 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2014 | 21 ha | under 1 ha | 21 ha |
| 2015 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2016 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2017 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2018 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2019 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2020 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2021 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2022 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2023 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2024 | 10 ha | under 1 ha | 10 ha |
| 2025 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Lubumbashi?
- Towns and roadscleared for good93% · 115 ha
- Mining and energycleared for good4.1% · 5 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good2.7% · 3 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
- 766 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 269 ha
- Overall change
- −497 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Lubumbashi shrank from about 766 hectares to 269 hectares, a net loss of about 497 hectares (−65%). New forest grew on about 59 hectares, but 556 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 Lubumbashi
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Kipushi27.2 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 3%
- Air quality
- 53
- Chililabombwe86.7 km
Zambia
- Tree cover
- 9%
- Air quality
- 52
- Chingola106.1 km
Zambia
- Tree cover
- 17%
- Air quality
- 52
- Likasi110.5 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 11%
- Air quality
- 56
- Mufulira128.9 km
Zambia
- Tree cover
- 20%
- Air quality
- 47
- Solwezi131.4 km
Zambia
- Tree cover
- 10%
- Air quality
- 59
Also compared:Lubumbashi vs KinshasaLubumbashi vs Mbuji-MayiLubumbashi vs KisanganiLubumbashi vs KanangaLubumbashi vs Kolwezi
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Frequently asked
Questions about Lubumbashi
What is the air quality (AQI) in Lubumbashi right now?
The latest reading for Lubumbashi shows an AQI of 63 (Moderate), observed Nov 11, 07:00 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 Lubumbashi today?
At AQI 63 (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 Lubumbashi been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Lubumbashi's daily AQI at 66 on average, from 39 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 94 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 Lubumbashi lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Lubumbashi has lost about 124 hectares of forest (about 170 football pitches): 26% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (over 99%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Lubumbashi shrank from about 766 hectares to 269 hectares, a net loss of about 497 hectares (−65%). New forest grew on about 59 hectares, but 556 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Lubumbashi?
Lubumbashi has an estimated 37,699 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 12.0% tree cover, 18 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Lubumbashi need?
Lubumbashi needs roughly 56,549 more trees to close a 18-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,244 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Lubumbashi'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 Lubumbashi; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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