City report · Mbeya, Tanzania
Mbeya Air quality today
Air quality in Mbeya currently reads AQI 67 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 67
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 20.4
- tree cover
- 13.7%
- trees in this area
- 43.0K
- more trees needed
- 51.2K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Mbeya, Tanzania (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 24, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Mbeya · AQI 67 (Moderate)
Mbeya's tree count comes to 43,040 trees across 12.57 km², 16 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 51,208 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Mbeya today: AQI 67, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 08:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Model estimate · no ground station nearby
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
20.4
PM10
22.4
NO₂
2.0
O₃
82.0
SO₂
1.1
CO
307.0
- 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 Mbeya's daily AQI at 62 on average, from 48 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 83 on Nov 7.
Where Mbeya stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Mbeya: Critically low
13.7% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
43,040
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
51,208
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,127 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Mbeya lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Mbeya has lost about 1,030 hectares of forest (about 1,400 football pitches): 30% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 210 hectares (20%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km northeast of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1,030 haabout 1,400 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 30%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 210 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2014, when about 206 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 | 6 ha | 13 ha | 19 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | 4 ha | 5 ha |
| 2003 | 28 ha | 60 ha | 88 ha |
| 2004 | 9 ha | 26 ha | 35 ha |
| 2005 | 5 ha | 6 ha | 11 ha |
| 2006 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2007 | 8 ha | 25 ha | 33 ha |
| 2008 | 4 ha | 51 ha | 55 ha |
| 2009 | 10 ha | 54 ha | 63 ha |
| 2010 | 4 ha | 3 ha | 6 ha |
| 2011 | 2 ha | 28 ha | 30 ha |
| 2012 | 7 ha | 49 ha | 56 ha |
| 2013 | 34 ha | 48 ha | 82 ha |
| 2014 | 14 ha | 193 ha | 206 ha |
| 2015 | 1 ha | 32 ha | 34 ha |
| 2016 | 6 ha | 80 ha | 86 ha |
| 2017 | 3 ha | 12 ha | 14 ha |
| 2018 | 7 ha | 15 ha | 22 ha |
| 2019 | 7 ha | 6 ha | 13 ha |
| 2020 | 14 ha | 26 ha | 40 ha |
| 2021 | 11 ha | 20 ha | 31 ha |
| 2022 | 3 ha | 2 ha | 5 ha |
| 2023 | 4 ha | 19 ha | 23 ha |
| 2024 | 9 ha | 27 ha | 36 ha |
| 2025 | 14 ha | 20 ha | 34 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Mbeya?
- Loggingcan grow back79% · 813 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good15% · 159 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good5% · 51 ha
Also: wildfires, shifting farming, 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
- 5,240 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 5,080 ha
- Overall change
- −156 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Mbeya shrank from about 5,240 hectares to 5,080 hectares, a net loss of about 156 hectares (−3%). New forest grew on about 587 hectares, but 744 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
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Frequently asked
Questions about Mbeya
What is the air quality (AQI) in Mbeya right now?
The latest reading for Mbeya shows an AQI of 67 (Moderate), observed Nov 11, 08:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, 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 Mbeya today?
At AQI 67 (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 Mbeya been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Mbeya's daily AQI at 62 on average, from 48 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 83 on Nov 7. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Mbeya lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Mbeya has lost about 1,030 hectares of forest (about 1,400 football pitches): 30% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 210 hectares (20%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Mbeya shrank from about 5,240 hectares to 5,080 hectares, a net loss of about 156 hectares (−3%). New forest grew on about 587 hectares, but 744 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Mbeya?
Mbeya has an estimated 43,040 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 13.7% tree cover, 16 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Mbeya need?
Mbeya needs roughly 51,208 more trees to close a 16-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,127 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Mbeya'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 Mbeya; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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