City report · Zambia
Lusaka Air quality today
Air quality in Lusaka currently reads AQI 113 (Unhealthy for sensitive groups): Sensitive groups should limit long or intense outdoor activity.
Air quality right now
AQI 113
Unhealthy for sensitive groups
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 40.3
- tree cover
- 13.3%
- trees in this area
- 41.8K
- more trees needed
- 68.2K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Thorn Park, Lusaka, Zambia (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 17, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Lusaka · AQI 113 (Unhealthy for sensitive groups)
Lusaka's tree count comes to 41,783 trees across 12.57 km², 22 points below the 35% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 68,173 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Lusaka today: AQI 113, Unhealthy for sensitive groups
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 18:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Zambia Outdoor Demo, 14.4 km away
Health signal
Sensitive groups should limit long or intense outdoor activity.
PM2.5
40.3
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, Communities Against Pollution (CAP)
- Outdoor exercise
- Children, older adults and people with asthma or heart disease should cut down long or hard exercise
- Windows
- Close them to keep the outside air out
- Mask
- Sensitive groups: an N95 outdoors
- Air purifier
- Run one, especially in bedrooms
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Lusaka's daily AQI at 67 on average, from 46 on Nov 10 to an hourly peak of 90 on Nov 8.
Where Lusaka stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Lusaka: Critically low
13.3% tree cover against a 35% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
41,783
Target trees
109,956
More trees needed
68,173
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,500 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Lusaka lost?
There was very little forest around Lusaka in 2000, about 37 hectares, and about 8 hectares of it has been lost since. Only fairly dense woodland counts as forest in these maps, so scattered street and garden trees don't show up here.
2017: satellite photo from September 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
The worst year was 2009, when about 4 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2005 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2009 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2020 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 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 Lusaka?
- Towns and roadscleared for good100% · 8 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good1.3% · under 1 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
- 721 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 818 ha
- Overall change
- +97 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Lusaka grew from about 721 hectares to 818 hectares, a net gain of about 97 hectares (+13%). New forest grew on about 167 hectares, while 71 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 Lusaka
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Kafue41.9 km
Zambia
- Tree cover
- 15%
- Air quality
- 96
- Mazabuka76.3 km
Zambia
- Tree cover
- 13%
- Air quality
- 98
- Kabwe108.1 km
Zambia
- Tree cover
- 12%
- Air quality
- 128
- Luanshya252.8 km
Zambia
- Tree cover
- 18%
- Air quality
- 59
- Kalulushi286.0 km
Zambia
- Tree cover
- 26%
- Air quality
- 54
Also compared:Lusaka vs KitweLusaka vs Chipata
Build your own
Compare Lusaka with anywhere
This place
Lusaka
Use this data
Put Lusaka's numbers on your site
Free to embed. Updates itself as the measurement refreshes.
Frequently asked
Questions about Lusaka
What is the air quality (AQI) in Lusaka right now?
The latest reading for Lusaka shows an AQI of 113 (Unhealthy for sensitive groups), measured Nov 11, 18:00 local time by the Zambia Outdoor Demo ground monitoring station, 14.4 km away, via OpenAQ. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Sensitive groups should limit long or intense outdoor activity.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Lusaka today?
At AQI 113 (Unhealthy for sensitive groups): children, older adults and people with asthma or heart disease should cut down long or hard exercise. Windows: close them to keep the outside air out. Masks: sensitive groups: an N95 outdoors. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.
What has the air quality in Lusaka been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Lusaka's daily AQI at 67 on average, from 46 on Nov 10 to an hourly peak of 90 on Nov 8. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Lusaka lost since 2001?
There was very little forest around Lusaka in 2000, about 37 hectares, and about 8 hectares of it has been lost since. Only fairly dense woodland counts as forest in these maps, so scattered street and garden trees don't show up here. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Lusaka grew from about 721 hectares to 818 hectares, a net gain of about 97 hectares (+13%). New forest grew on about 167 hectares, while 71 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Lusaka?
Lusaka has an estimated 41,783 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 13.3% tree cover, 22 percentage points short of the 35% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Lusaka need?
Lusaka needs roughly 68,173 more trees to close a 22-point shortfall against its 35% tree-cover target — about 1,500 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Lusaka's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Thorn Park, 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 Thorn Park; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
See your own area
What does your neighborhood look like?
Pick any point and radius to get the same air-quality and tree-cover breakdown.
Check my address