City report · Eswatini
Mbabane Air quality today
Air quality in Mbabane currently reads AQI 77 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 77
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 23.2
- tree cover
- 40.3%
- trees in this area
- 127K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 2 km radius around Mbabane, Eswatini (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 1, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Mbabane · AQI 77 (Moderate)
Mbabane's tree count comes to 126,606 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 Mbabane today: AQI 77, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 10, 15:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 2 ground-station cities within 225 km, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Estimate · model corrected with 2 station cities within 225 km, e.g. Ermelo and Embalenhle
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
23.2
PM10
23.1
NO₂
1.1
O₃
133.0
SO₂
13.7
CO
110.0
- 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 Mbabane's daily AQI at 44 on average, from 9 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 75 on Nov 10.
Where Mbabane stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Mbabane: Healthy tree cover
40.3% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
126,606
Target trees
126,606
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Mbabane lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Mbabane has lost about 3,500 hectares of forest (about 4,900 football pitches): 39% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 483 hectares (14%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from August 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 6 km southwest of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 3,500 haabout 4,900 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 39%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 483 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss is slowing down: about 128 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 199 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2017, when about 350 hectares of forest were lost.
Mbabane's full deforestation reportHectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 19 ha | 104 ha | 123 ha |
| 2002 | 4 ha | 32 ha | 35 ha |
| 2003 | 12 ha | 222 ha | 234 ha |
| 2004 | 25 ha | 189 ha | 213 ha |
| 2005 | 8 ha | 60 ha | 68 ha |
| 2006 | 39 ha | 207 ha | 246 ha |
| 2007 | 18 ha | 175 ha | 193 ha |
| 2008 | 13 ha | 30 ha | 43 ha |
| 2009 | 32 ha | 108 ha | 140 ha |
| 2010 | 23 ha | 68 ha | 91 ha |
| 2011 | 7 ha | 100 ha | 107 ha |
| 2012 | 8 ha | 71 ha | 79 ha |
| 2013 | 19 ha | 77 ha | 96 ha |
| 2014 | 36 ha | 108 ha | 144 ha |
| 2015 | 14 ha | 41 ha | 55 ha |
| 2016 | 33 ha | 98 ha | 131 ha |
| 2017 | 59 ha | 291 ha | 350 ha |
| 2018 | 9 ha | 64 ha | 74 ha |
| 2019 | 41 ha | 194 ha | 235 ha |
| 2020 | 5 ha | 200 ha | 205 ha |
| 2021 | 14 ha | 198 ha | 212 ha |
| 2022 | 8 ha | 95 ha | 103 ha |
| 2023 | 18 ha | 71 ha | 89 ha |
| 2024 | 10 ha | 119 ha | 129 ha |
| 2025 | 9 ha | 96 ha | 105 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Mbabane?
- Loggingcan grow back86% · 3,000 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good8.7% · 303 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good5.1% · 180 ha
Also: wildfires, 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
- 12,300 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 11,600 ha
- Overall change
- −746 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Mbabane shrank from about 12,300 hectares to 11,600 hectares, a net loss of about 746 hectares (−6.1%). New forest grew on about 302 hectares, but 1,050 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 Mbabane
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Mbombela95.0 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 45%
- Air quality
- 74
- Ermelo117.0 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 16%
- Air quality
- 43
- Ressano Garcia129.9 km
Mozambique
- Tree cover
- 31%
- Air quality
- 63
- Matola138.1 km
Mozambique
- Tree cover
- 25%
- Air quality
- 47
- Maputo149.9 km
Mozambique
- Tree cover
- 15%
- Air quality
- 48
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Frequently asked
Questions about Mbabane
What is the air quality (AQI) in Mbabane right now?
The latest reading for Mbabane shows an AQI of 77 (Moderate), observed Nov 10, 15:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 2 ground-station cities within 225 km, 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 Mbabane today?
At AQI 77 (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 Mbabane been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Mbabane's daily AQI at 44 on average, from 9 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 75 on Nov 10. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Mbabane lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Mbabane has lost about 3,500 hectares of forest (about 4,900 football pitches): 39% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 483 hectares (14%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Forest loss is slowing down: about 128 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 199 hectares a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Mbabane shrank from about 12,300 hectares to 11,600 hectares, a net loss of about 746 hectares (−6.1%). New forest grew on about 302 hectares, but 1,050 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Mbabane?
Mbabane has an estimated 126,606 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 40.3% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Mbabane need?
Mbabane has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Mbabane'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 Mbabane; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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