City report · Mpumalanga, South Africa
Mbombela Air quality today
Air quality in Mbombela currently reads AQI 73 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 73
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 22.2
- tree cover
- 44.6%
- trees in this area
- 140K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 2 km radius around West Acres, Mbombela, 1211, South Africa (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 24, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Mbombela · AQI 73 (Moderate)
Mbombela's tree count comes to 140,115 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 Mbombela today: AQI 73, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 10, 15:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 5 ground-station cities within 245 km, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Estimate · model corrected with 5 station cities within 245 km, e.g. Ermelo and Phalaborwa
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
22.2
PM10
20.7
NO₂
1.1
O₃
137.0
SO₂
15.7
CO
137.0
- 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 Mbombela's daily AQI at 44 on average, from 16 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 70 on Nov 10.
Where Mbombela stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Mbombela: Healthy tree cover
44.6% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
140,115
Target trees
140,115
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Mbombela lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Mbombela has lost about 1,250 hectares of forest (about 1,700 football pitches): 12% 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 July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km west of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1,250 haabout 1,700 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 12%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 750 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss is slowing down: about 43 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 113 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2017, when about 160 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 | 35 ha | 42 ha |
| 2002 | 3 ha | 2 ha | 4 ha |
| 2003 | 8 ha | 13 ha | 21 ha |
| 2004 | 4 ha | 2 ha | 6 ha |
| 2005 | 34 ha | 62 ha | 96 ha |
| 2006 | 11 ha | 7 ha | 18 ha |
| 2007 | 11 ha | under 1 ha | 11 ha |
| 2008 | 30 ha | 15 ha | 45 ha |
| 2009 | 24 ha | 3 ha | 27 ha |
| 2010 | 22 ha | 3 ha | 25 ha |
| 2011 | 7 ha | under 1 ha | 7 ha |
| 2012 | 9 ha | 2 ha | 11 ha |
| 2013 | 18 ha | 17 ha | 35 ha |
| 2014 | 54 ha | 17 ha | 71 ha |
| 2015 | 39 ha | 11 ha | 50 ha |
| 2016 | 53 ha | 80 ha | 133 ha |
| 2017 | 77 ha | 83 ha | 160 ha |
| 2018 | 86 ha | 21 ha | 107 ha |
| 2019 | 75 ha | 31 ha | 106 ha |
| 2020 | 45 ha | 15 ha | 60 ha |
| 2021 | 43 ha | 11 ha | 54 ha |
| 2022 | 17 ha | 3 ha | 21 ha |
| 2023 | 14 ha | 5 ha | 20 ha |
| 2024 | 34 ha | 48 ha | 82 ha |
| 2025 | 25 ha | 16 ha | 40 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Mbombela?
- Loggingcan grow back36% · 447 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good30% · 376 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good30% · 374 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
- 19,400 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 18,700 ha
- Overall change
- −656 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Mbombela shrank from about 19,400 hectares to 18,700 hectares, a net loss of about 656 hectares (−3.4%). New forest grew on about 979 hectares, but 1,640 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 Mbombela
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Mbabane95.0 km
Eswatini
- Tree cover
- 40%
- Air quality
- 76
- Ressano Garcia103.1 km
Mozambique
- Tree cover
- 31%
- Air quality
- 63
- Manzini121.0 km
Eswatini
- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 76
- Ermelo153.5 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 16%
- Air quality
- 43
- Middelburg154.5 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 26%
- Air quality
- 55
- Matola158.8 km
Mozambique
- Tree cover
- 25%
- Air quality
- 47
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Frequently asked
Questions about Mbombela
What is the air quality (AQI) in Mbombela right now?
The latest reading for Mbombela shows an AQI of 73 (Moderate), observed Nov 10, 15:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 5 ground-station cities within 245 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 Mbombela today?
At AQI 73 (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 Mbombela been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Mbombela's daily AQI at 44 on average, from 16 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 70 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 Mbombela lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Mbombela has lost about 1,250 hectares of forest (about 1,700 football pitches): 12% 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 slowing down: about 43 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 113 hectares a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Mbombela shrank from about 19,400 hectares to 18,700 hectares, a net loss of about 656 hectares (−3.4%). New forest grew on about 979 hectares, but 1,640 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Mbombela?
Mbombela has an estimated 140,115 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 44.6% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Mbombela need?
Mbombela has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Mbombela'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 West Acres; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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