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Air quality now: AQI23Good, Middlesbrough

City report · England, United Kingdom

Middlesbrough Air quality today

Air quality in Middlesbrough currently reads AQI 23 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.

AQI 23

Air quality right now

Good

Main pollutant: PM2.5
PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
4.1
tree cover
13.1%
trees in this area
37.7K
more trees needed
48.6K

Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Middlesbrough, UK (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Aug 11, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.

Middlesbrough · AQI 23 (Good)

Dark green marks tree cover detected inside the study radius.Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search, captured Aug 11, 2026

Middlesbrough's tree count comes to 37,657 trees across 4.4 sq mi (11.5 km²) of land, 17 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 48,580 more trees would close the gap.

Air quality detail

Air quality in Middlesbrough today: AQI 23, Good

Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 15:00 local time via World Air Quality Index Project ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.

Ground station · Middlesbrough, United Kingdom, 0.7 mi (1.2 km) away

Health signal

Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.

PM2.5

4.1

PM10

15.1

NO₂

—

O₃

—

SO₂

—

CO

—

Data: World Air Quality Index Project, UK-AIR, air quality information resource - Defra, UK

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 Middlesbrough's daily AQI at 43 on average, from 15 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 72 on Nov 8.

Last 7 days · model estimateavg 43 · peak 72
Nov 4: AQI 15 (peak 17)Nov 5: AQI 17 (peak 24)Nov 6: AQI 32 (peak 54)Nov 7: AQI 59 (peak 65)Nov 8: AQI 64 (peak 72)Nov 9: AQI 56 (peak 70)Nov 10: AQI 55 (peak 58)
Nov 4Nov 10

This is the US EPA AQI. How it differs from the UK's Daily Air Quality Index

Where Middlesbrough stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest

Tree cover detail

Tree cover in Middlesbrough: Critically low

13.1% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.4 sq mi (11.5 km²) of land.

17 points below target

Trees in this area

37,657

Target trees

86,237

More trees needed

48,580

CO₂ if planted / yr

1,069 t

Deforestation · 2001–2025

How much forest has Middlesbrough lost?

Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Middlesbrough has lost about 35 hectares of forest (about 50 football pitches): 1.8% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was logging (49%), after which forest can grow back. About 9 hectares (26%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.

Satellite image of the area around Middlesbrough, July 2018

2018: satellite photo from July 2018 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.

Forest lost since 2001
35 haabout 50 football pitches
Share of its forest
1.8%of what there was in 2000
Cleared for good
9 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns

The worst year was 2001, when about 7 hectares of forest were lost.

Forest lost each year around Middlesbrough, 2001–2025

Hectares of forest lost each year

Forest lost each year around Middlesbrough, 2001–2025. Use the left and right arrow keys to read each year.6.8

Show the figures as a table
Forest lost each year around Middlesbrough, 2001–2025
YearCleared for goodCan grow backTotal
20013 ha4 ha7 ha
2002under 1 haunder 1 ha1 ha
2003under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2004under 1 haunder 1 ha1 ha
2005under 1 haunder 1 ha1 ha
2006under 1 ha2 ha3 ha
2007under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2008under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2009under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2010under 1 ha4 ha4 ha
20112 ha4 ha6 ha
2012under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2013under 1 haunder 1 ha1 ha
2014under 1 ha1 ha1 ha
2015under 1 ha1 ha1 ha
2016under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2017under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2018under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2019under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2020under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2021under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2022under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2023under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2024under 1 ha5 ha5 ha
2025under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha

What is causing deforestation around Middlesbrough?

  • Loggingcan grow back49% · 18 ha
  • Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good18% · 6 ha
  • Towns and roadscleared for good8.8% · 3 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
1,570 ha
Forest in 2020
1,950 ha
Overall change
+377 hamore forest than in 2000

Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Middlesbrough grew from about 1,570 hectares to 1,950 hectares, a net gain of about 377 hectares (+24%). New forest grew on about 407 hectares, while 30 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 Middlesbrough

Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.

  • Sunderland

    United Kingdom

    37.7 km
    Tree cover
    18%
    Air quality
    9
  • Newcastle upon Tyne

    United Kingdom

    50.4 km
    Tree cover
    25%
    Air quality
    59
  • York

    United Kingdom

    69.5 km
    Tree cover
    24%
    Air quality
    42
  • Leeds

    United Kingdom

    89.1 km
    Tree cover
    16%
    Air quality
    29
  • Bradford

    United Kingdom

    93.3 km
    Tree cover
    18%
    Air quality
    15
  • Wakefield

    United Kingdom

    100.8 km
    Tree cover
    25%
    Air quality
    29

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Middlesbrough air quality (AQI) and tree cover — measured by Airleaf
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Frequently asked

Questions about Middlesbrough

What is the air quality (AQI) in Middlesbrough right now?

The latest reading for Middlesbrough shows an AQI of 23 (Good), measured Nov 11, 15:00 local time by the Middlesbrough, United Kingdom ground monitoring station, 0.7 mi (1.2 km) away, via OpenAQ. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.

Is it safe to exercise outside in Middlesbrough today?

At AQI 23 (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 Middlesbrough been like this week?

Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Middlesbrough's daily AQI at 43 on average, from 15 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 72 on Nov 8. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.

Is Middlesbrough's AQI the same as the UK's Daily Air Quality Index?

No. Airleaf shows the US EPA Air Quality Index (AQI), the scale used by IQAir and most air-quality apps. The UK's Daily Air Quality Index (DAQI), published by Defra, runs from 1 to 10: 1–3 low, 4–6 moderate, 7–9 high and 10 very high. It is a different scale altogether, so a US AQI figure can't be read on it directly; both, though, are built from the same main pollutants, with fine particles (PM2.5) usually the one that decides the reading.

How much forest has the area around Middlesbrough lost since 2001?

Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Middlesbrough has lost about 35 hectares of forest (about 50 football pitches): 1.8% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was logging (49%), after which forest can grow back. About 9 hectares (26%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Middlesbrough grew from about 1,570 hectares to 1,950 hectares, a net gain of about 377 hectares (+24%). New forest grew on about 407 hectares, while 30 hectares were lost.

What is the tree count in Middlesbrough?

Middlesbrough has an estimated 37,657 trees across the 4.4 sq mi (11.5 km²) of land measured — 13.1% tree cover, 17 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.

How many more trees does Middlesbrough need?

Middlesbrough needs roughly 48,580 more trees to close a 17-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,069 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.

How are Middlesbrough's air quality and tree cover measured?

Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Middlesbrough, via OpenAQ; the 7-day trend is the Open-Meteo / CAMS model's estimate. Tree cover is measured from Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search satellite imagery at 10 m detail across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Middlesbrough; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.

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