City report · Bas-Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Mbanza-Ngungu Air quality today
Air quality in Mbanza-Ngungu currently reads AQI 103 (Unhealthy for sensitive groups): Sensitive groups should limit long or intense outdoor activity.
AQI 103
Air quality right now
Unhealthy for sensitive groups
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 35.2
- tree cover
- 15.1%
- trees in this area
- 47.4K
- more trees needed
- 62.5K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Mbanza-Ngungu, 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.
Mbanza-Ngungu · AQI 103 (Unhealthy for sensitive groups)
Mbanza-Ngungu's tree count comes to 47,438 trees across 12.57 km², 20 points below the 35% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 62,518 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Mbanza-Ngungu today: AQI 103, Unhealthy for sensitive groups
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 10, 14:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 3 ground-station cities within 125 km, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Estimate · model corrected with 3 station cities within 125 km, e.g. Kinshasa and Kinshasa
Health signal
Sensitive groups should limit long or intense outdoor activity.
PM2.5
35.2
PM10
9.0
NO₂
0.3
O₃
67.0
SO₂
0.2
CO
147.0
- 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 Mbanza-Ngungu's daily AQI at 37 on average, from 28 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 64 on Nov 9.
Where Mbanza-Ngungu stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Mbanza-Ngungu: Critically low
15.1% tree cover against a 35% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
47,438
Target trees
109,956
More trees needed
62,518
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,375 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Mbanza-Ngungu lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Mbanza-Ngungu has lost about 2,160 hectares of forest (about 3,000 football pitches): 13% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (60%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
2017: satellite photo from August 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 6 km south of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 2,160 haabout 3,000 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 13%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 1,300 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss is speeding up: about 141 hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 63 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2021, when about 348 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 | 13 ha | 4 ha | 17 ha |
| 2003 | 13 ha | 5 ha | 18 ha |
| 2004 | 240 ha | 58 ha | 298 ha |
| 2005 | 64 ha | 26 ha | 89 ha |
| 2006 | 10 ha | 7 ha | 17 ha |
| 2007 | 36 ha | 9 ha | 44 ha |
| 2008 | 59 ha | 12 ha | 71 ha |
| 2009 | 60 ha | 14 ha | 74 ha |
| 2010 | 97 ha | 37 ha | 134 ha |
| 2011 | 14 ha | 13 ha | 27 ha |
| 2012 | 9 ha | 6 ha | 15 ha |
| 2013 | 22 ha | 21 ha | 43 ha |
| 2014 | 65 ha | 41 ha | 106 ha |
| 2015 | 90 ha | 92 ha | 182 ha |
| 2016 | 41 ha | 55 ha | 96 ha |
| 2017 | 51 ha | 52 ha | 103 ha |
| 2018 | 14 ha | 11 ha | 25 ha |
| 2019 | 21 ha | 16 ha | 37 ha |
| 2020 | 29 ha | 26 ha | 55 ha |
| 2021 | 192 ha | 156 ha | 348 ha |
| 2022 | 32 ha | 39 ha | 70 ha |
| 2023 | 50 ha | 62 ha | 112 ha |
| 2024 | 20 ha | 20 ha | 40 ha |
| 2025 | 62 ha | 75 ha | 137 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Mbanza-Ngungu?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good58% · 1,240 ha
- Shifting farmingcan grow back40% · 855 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good2.6% · 56 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
- 7,100 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 5,710 ha
- Overall change
- −1,390 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Mbanza-Ngungu shrank from about 7,100 hectares to 5,710 hectares, a net loss of about 1,390 hectares (−20%). New forest grew on about 231 hectares, but 1,630 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 Mbanza-Ngungu
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Inkisi25.9 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 16%
- Air quality
- 56
- Masina113.8 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 21%
- Air quality
- 120
- Kinshasa115.1 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 1%
- Air quality
- 121
- Brazzaville120.0 km
Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 1%
- Air quality
- 120
- Mbanza Kongo131.4 km
Angola
- Tree cover
- 19%
- Air quality
- 106
- Matadi167.4 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 4%
- Air quality
- 32
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Frequently asked
Questions about Mbanza-Ngungu
What is the air quality (AQI) in Mbanza-Ngungu right now?
The latest reading for Mbanza-Ngungu shows an AQI of 103 (Unhealthy for sensitive groups), observed Nov 10, 14:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 3 ground-station cities within 125 km, US EPA index. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Sensitive groups should limit long or intense outdoor activity.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Mbanza-Ngungu today?
At AQI 103 (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 Mbanza-Ngungu been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Mbanza-Ngungu's daily AQI at 37 on average, from 28 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 64 on Nov 9. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Mbanza-Ngungu lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Mbanza-Ngungu has lost about 2,160 hectares of forest (about 3,000 football pitches): 13% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (60%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations. Forest loss is speeding up: about 141 hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 63 hectares a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Mbanza-Ngungu shrank from about 7,100 hectares to 5,710 hectares, a net loss of about 1,390 hectares (−20%). New forest grew on about 231 hectares, but 1,630 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Mbanza-Ngungu?
Mbanza-Ngungu has an estimated 47,438 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 15.1% tree cover, 20 percentage points short of the 35% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Mbanza-Ngungu need?
Mbanza-Ngungu needs roughly 62,518 more trees to close a 20-point shortfall against its 35% tree-cover target — about 1,375 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Mbanza-Ngungu'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 Mbanza-Ngungu; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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