City report · Bas-Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Matadi Air quality today
Air quality in Matadi currently reads AQI 32 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
AQI 32
Air quality right now
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 5.9
- tree cover
- 4.4%
- trees in this area
- 13.8K
- more trees needed
- 80.3K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Matadi, Democratic Republic of the Congo (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 1, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Matadi · AQI 32 (Good)
Matadi's tree count comes to 13,809 trees across 12.56 km² of land, 26 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 80,344 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Matadi today: AQI 32, Good
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 10, 23:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Model estimate · no ground station nearby
Health signal
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
PM2.5
5.9
PM10
6.9
NO₂
2.9
O₃
37.0
SO₂
0.6
CO
161.0
- Outdoor exercise
- A good day to be active outside
- Windows
- Open them to air the house
- Mask
- Not needed
- Air purifier
- Not needed
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Matadi's daily AQI at 33 on average, from 17 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 53 on Nov 5.
Where Matadi stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Matadi: Critically low
4.4% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.56 km² of land.
Trees in this area
13,809
Target trees
94,153
More trees needed
80,344
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,768 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Matadi lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Matadi has lost about 695 hectares of forest (about 970 football pitches): 8.3% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to shifting farming, so much of it can grow back. About 211 hectares (30%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2020: satellite photo from February 2020 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km south of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 695 haabout 970 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 8.3%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 211 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2014, when about 149 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 | 8 ha | 4 ha | 12 ha |
| 2002 | 15 ha | 12 ha | 27 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2004 | 9 ha | 3 ha | 12 ha |
| 2005 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2006 | 23 ha | 15 ha | 38 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2008 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2009 | 5 ha | 3 ha | 8 ha |
| 2010 | 6 ha | 8 ha | 14 ha |
| 2011 | 36 ha | 14 ha | 51 ha |
| 2012 | 4 ha | 15 ha | 18 ha |
| 2013 | 13 ha | 54 ha | 66 ha |
| 2014 | 10 ha | 139 ha | 149 ha |
| 2015 | 3 ha | 5 ha | 8 ha |
| 2016 | 6 ha | 11 ha | 17 ha |
| 2017 | 7 ha | 17 ha | 24 ha |
| 2018 | 3 ha | 4 ha | 7 ha |
| 2019 | 8 ha | 20 ha | 28 ha |
| 2020 | 6 ha | 8 ha | 13 ha |
| 2021 | 9 ha | 34 ha | 43 ha |
| 2022 | 11 ha | 37 ha | 48 ha |
| 2023 | 7 ha | 32 ha | 39 ha |
| 2024 | 5 ha | 26 ha | 31 ha |
| 2025 | 13 ha | 23 ha | 36 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Matadi?
- Shifting farmingcan grow back68% · 470 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good21% · 148 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good9.1% · 64 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
- 2,930 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 2,500 ha
- Overall change
- −433 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Matadi shrank from about 2,930 hectares to 2,500 hectares, a net loss of about 433 hectares (−15%). New forest grew on about 140 hectares, but 573 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 Matadi
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Boma45.3 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 17%
- Air quality
- 35
- Mbanza Kongo98.0 km
Angola
- Tree cover
- 19%
- Air quality
- 106
- Moanda121.1 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 4%
- Air quality
- 54
- Soyo125.4 km
Angola
- Tree cover
- 24%
- Air quality
- 53
- Cabinda143.7 km
Angola
- Tree cover
- 6%
- Air quality
- 60
- Mbanza-Ngungu167.4 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 15%
- Air quality
- 103
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Frequently asked
Questions about Matadi
What is the air quality (AQI) in Matadi right now?
The latest reading for Matadi shows an AQI of 32 (Good), observed Nov 10, 23:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Matadi today?
At AQI 32 (Good): a good day to be active outside. Windows: open them to air the house. Masks: not needed. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.
What has the air quality in Matadi been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Matadi's daily AQI at 33 on average, from 17 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 53 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 Matadi lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Matadi has lost about 695 hectares of forest (about 970 football pitches): 8.3% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to shifting farming, so much of it can grow back. About 211 hectares (30%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Matadi shrank from about 2,930 hectares to 2,500 hectares, a net loss of about 433 hectares (−15%). New forest grew on about 140 hectares, but 573 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Matadi?
Matadi has an estimated 13,809 trees across the 12.56 km² of land measured — 4.4% tree cover, 26 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Matadi need?
Matadi needs roughly 80,344 more trees to close a 26-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,768 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Matadi'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 Matadi; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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