City report · Democratic Republic of the Congo
Mbandaka Air quality today
Air quality in Mbandaka currently reads AQI 48 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
AQI 48
Air quality right now
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 9.1
- tree cover
- 39.8%
- trees in this area
- 108K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 2 km radius around Mbandaka, 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.
Mbandaka · AQI 48 (Good)
Mbandaka's tree count comes to 108,156 trees across 10.87 km² of land, already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Mbandaka today: AQI 48, Good
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 10, 18:00 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
9.1
PM10
9.8
NO₂
0.3
O₃
27.0
SO₂
0.3
CO
196.0
- 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 Mbandaka's daily AQI at 33 on average, from 17 on Nov 9 to an hourly peak of 58 on Nov 8.
Where Mbandaka stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Mbandaka: Healthy tree cover
39.8% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 10.87 km² of land.
Trees in this area
108,156
Target trees
108,156
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Mbandaka lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Mbandaka has lost about 6,430 hectares of forest (about 9,000 football pitches): 28% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was shifting farming (43%), after which forest can grow back. About 2,220 hectares (34%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from February 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 6 km east of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 6,430 haabout 9,000 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 28%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 2,220 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 346 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 361 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2024, when about 689 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 | 7 ha | 15 ha | 22 ha |
| 2002 | 79 ha | 75 ha | 154 ha |
| 2003 | 14 ha | 4 ha | 18 ha |
| 2004 | 8 ha | 21 ha | 29 ha |
| 2005 | 226 ha | 145 ha | 371 ha |
| 2006 | 67 ha | 97 ha | 163 ha |
| 2007 | 32 ha | 55 ha | 87 ha |
| 2008 | 98 ha | 34 ha | 132 ha |
| 2009 | 29 ha | 63 ha | 91 ha |
| 2010 | 389 ha | 152 ha | 541 ha |
| 2011 | 123 ha | 112 ha | 235 ha |
| 2012 | 74 ha | 91 ha | 164 ha |
| 2013 | 125 ha | 117 ha | 242 ha |
| 2014 | 122 ha | 278 ha | 400 ha |
| 2015 | 41 ha | 202 ha | 243 ha |
| 2016 | 112 ha | 301 ha | 413 ha |
| 2017 | 103 ha | 257 ha | 360 ha |
| 2018 | 69 ha | 270 ha | 338 ha |
| 2019 | 59 ha | 285 ha | 344 ha |
| 2020 | 109 ha | 243 ha | 352 ha |
| 2021 | 59 ha | 215 ha | 274 ha |
| 2022 | 59 ha | 255 ha | 314 ha |
| 2023 | 45 ha | 151 ha | 196 ha |
| 2024 | 122 ha | 567 ha | 689 ha |
| 2025 | 47 ha | 212 ha | 259 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Mbandaka?
- Shifting farmingcan grow back43% · 2,760 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good20% · 1,320 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good14% · 885 ha
Also: storms, floods and other natural causes, wildfires, logging, mining and energy, 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
- 20,500 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 18,000 ha
- Overall change
- −2,470 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Mbandaka shrank from about 20,500 hectares to 18,000 hectares, a net loss of about 2,470 hectares (−12%). New forest grew on about 253 hectares, but 2,730 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 Mbandaka
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Impfondo175.9 km
Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 65%
- Air quality
- 51
- Bandundu Province386.8 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 28%
- Air quality
- 46
- Gemena394.3 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 58%
- Air quality
- 64
- Lisala430.9 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 67%
- Air quality
- 63
- Bimbo468.2 km
Central African Republic
- Tree cover
- 61%
- Air quality
- 84
- Bangui480.7 km
Central African Republic
- Tree cover
- 26%
- Air quality
- 65
Build your own
Compare Mbandaka with anywhere
This place
Mbandaka
Use this data
Put Mbandaka's numbers on your site
Free to embed. Updates itself as the measurement refreshes.
Frequently asked
Questions about Mbandaka
What is the air quality (AQI) in Mbandaka right now?
The latest reading for Mbandaka shows an AQI of 48 (Good), observed Nov 10, 18:00 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 Mbandaka today?
At AQI 48 (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 Mbandaka been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Mbandaka's daily AQI at 33 on average, from 17 on Nov 9 to an hourly peak of 58 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 Mbandaka lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Mbandaka has lost about 6,430 hectares of forest (about 9,000 football pitches): 28% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was shifting farming (43%), after which forest can grow back. About 2,220 hectares (34%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 346 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 361 hectares a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Mbandaka shrank from about 20,500 hectares to 18,000 hectares, a net loss of about 2,470 hectares (−12%). New forest grew on about 253 hectares, but 2,730 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Mbandaka?
Mbandaka has an estimated 108,156 trees across the 10.87 km² of land measured — 39.8% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Mbandaka need?
Mbandaka has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Mbandaka'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 Mbandaka; 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