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City report · England, United Kingdom

Maidstone Air quality today

Air quality in Maidstone currently reads AQI 81 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.

Air quality right now

AQI 81

Moderate

Main pollutant: PM2.5
PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
25.3
tree cover
33.0%
trees in this area
104K
more trees needed
0

Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Maidstone, UK (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Sep 1, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.

Maidstone · AQI 81 (Moderate)

Dark green marks tree cover detected inside the study radius.Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search, captured Sep 1, 2026

Maidstone's tree count comes to 103,673 trees across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²), already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.

Air quality detail

Air quality in Maidstone today: AQI 81, Moderate

Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 16:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.

Ground station · West Farleigh, 3.5 mi (5.6 km) away

Health signal

Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.

PM2.5

25.3

PM10

—

NO₂

—

O₃

—

SO₂

—

CO

—

Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, Tim

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 Maidstone's daily AQI at 70 on average, from 39 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 98 on Nov 7.

Last 7 days · model estimateavg 70 · peak 98
Nov 4: AQI 39 (peak 51)Nov 5: AQI 55 (peak 68)Nov 6: AQI 82 (peak 96)Nov 7: AQI 88 (peak 98)Nov 8: AQI 85 (peak 89)Nov 9: AQI 72 (peak 88)Nov 10: AQI 71 (peak 73)
Nov 4Nov 10

This is the US EPA AQI. How it differs from the UK's Daily Air Quality Index

Where Maidstone stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest

Tree cover detail

Tree cover in Maidstone: Healthy tree cover

33.0% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²).

Target reached

Trees in this area

103,673

Target trees

103,673

More trees needed

0

CO₂ if planted / yr

0 kg

Deforestation · 2001–2025

How much forest has Maidstone lost?

Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Maidstone has lost about 80 hectares of forest (about 110 football pitches): 1.7% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was logging (44%), after which forest can grow back. About 30 hectares (37%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.

Satellite image of the area around Maidstone, August 2018

2018: satellite photo from August 2018 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.

Forest lost since 2001
80 haabout 110 football pitches
Share of its forest
1.7%of what there was in 2000
Cleared for good
30 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns

The worst year was 2008, when about 10 hectares of forest were lost.

Forest lost each year around Maidstone, 2001–2025

Hectares of forest lost each year

Forest lost each year around Maidstone, 2001–2025. Use the left and right arrow keys to read each year.9.8

Show the figures as a table
Forest lost each year around Maidstone, 2001–2025
YearCleared for goodCan grow backTotal
20014 ha5 ha9 ha
20021 haunder 1 ha2 ha
2003under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2004under 1 haunder 1 ha1 ha
2005under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
20062 ha2 ha5 ha
2007under 1 haunder 1 ha1 ha
20085 ha5 ha10 ha
2009under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
20101 ha1 ha2 ha
2011under 1 ha1 ha2 ha
20122 ha6 ha8 ha
2013under 1 ha1 ha1 ha
2014under 1 ha4 ha4 ha
2015under 1 ha1 ha2 ha
20165 ha2 ha8 ha
20173 ha4 ha7 ha
2018under 1 ha1 ha1 ha
2019under 1 haunder 1 ha2 ha
2020under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2021under 1 ha2 ha2 ha
2022under 1 ha3 ha3 ha
2023under 1 ha4 ha4 ha
20241 haunder 1 ha2 ha
2025under 1 ha2 ha2 ha

What is causing deforestation around Maidstone?

  • Loggingcan grow back44% · 35 ha
  • Towns and roadscleared for good29% · 23 ha
  • Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good9.1% · 7 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
7,630 ha
Forest in 2020
8,190 ha
Overall change
+556 hamore forest than in 2000

Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Maidstone grew from about 7,630 hectares to 8,190 hectares, a net gain of about 556 hectares (+7.3%). New forest grew on about 758 hectares, while 202 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 Maidstone

Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.

  • Gillingham

    United Kingdom

    13.8 km
    Tree cover
    23%
    Air quality
    56
  • Bexley

    United Kingdom

    32.1 km
    Tree cover
    40%
    Air quality
    102
  • Southend-on-Sea

    United Kingdom

    33.1 km
    Tree cover
    16%
    Air quality
    61
  • Basildon

    United Kingdom

    33.8 km
    Tree cover
    31%
    Air quality
    53
  • Barking

    United Kingdom

    42.2 km
    Tree cover
    16%
    Air quality
    68
  • Sutton

    United Kingdom

    50.7 km
    Tree cover
    45%
    Air quality
    79

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Maidstone air quality (AQI) and tree cover — measured by Airleaf
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Frequently asked

Questions about Maidstone

What is the air quality (AQI) in Maidstone right now?

The latest reading for Maidstone shows an AQI of 81 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 16:00 local time by the West Farleigh ground monitoring station, 3.5 mi (5.6 km) away, via OpenAQ. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.

Is it safe to exercise outside in Maidstone today?

At AQI 81 (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 Maidstone been like this week?

Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Maidstone's daily AQI at 70 on average, from 39 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 98 on Nov 7. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.

Is Maidstone's AQI the same as the UK's Daily Air Quality Index?

No. Airleaf shows the US EPA Air Quality Index (AQI), the scale used by IQAir and most air-quality apps. The UK's Daily Air Quality Index (DAQI), published by Defra, runs from 1 to 10: 1–3 low, 4–6 moderate, 7–9 high and 10 very high. It is a different scale altogether, so a US AQI figure can't be read on it directly; both, though, are built from the same main pollutants, with fine particles (PM2.5) usually the one that decides the reading.

How much forest has the area around Maidstone lost since 2001?

Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Maidstone has lost about 80 hectares of forest (about 110 football pitches): 1.7% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was logging (44%), after which forest can grow back. About 30 hectares (37%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Maidstone grew from about 7,630 hectares to 8,190 hectares, a net gain of about 556 hectares (+7.3%). New forest grew on about 758 hectares, while 202 hectares were lost.

What is the tree count in Maidstone?

Maidstone has an estimated 103,673 trees across the 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²) measured — 33.0% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.

How many more trees does Maidstone need?

Maidstone has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.

How are Maidstone's air quality and tree cover measured?

Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Maidstone, 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 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Maidstone; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.

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