City report · Malawi
Mzuzu Air quality today
Air quality in Mzuzu currently reads AQI 152 (Unhealthy): Everyone should limit long outdoor exertion; sensitive groups more so.
Air quality right now
AQI 152
Unhealthy
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 56.5
- tree cover
- 19.0%
- trees in this area
- 59.7K
- more trees needed
- 66.0K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Mzuzu, Malawi (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 4, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Mzuzu · AQI 152 (Unhealthy)
Mzuzu's tree count comes to 59,690 trees across 12.57 km², 21 points below the 40% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 65,973 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Mzuzu today: AQI 152, Unhealthy
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 18:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · CBD, Mzuzu, 300 m away · median of 2 stations
Health signal
Everyone should limit long outdoor exertion; sensitive groups more so.
PM2.5
56.5
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, MUBAS Air Quality
- Outdoor exercise
- Everyone should cut down long or hard exercise; sensitive groups should avoid it
- Windows
- Keep them closed
- Mask
- Wear an N95 outdoors
- Air purifier
- Run one
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Mzuzu's daily AQI at 74 on average, from 51 on Nov 10 to an hourly peak of 157 on Nov 4.
Where Mzuzu stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Mzuzu: Critically low
19.0% tree cover against a 40% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
59,690
Target trees
125,663
More trees needed
65,973
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,451 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Mzuzu lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Mzuzu has lost about 2,250 hectares of forest (about 3,200 football pitches): 18% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (87%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
2017: satellite photo from October 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 6 km northeast of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 2,250 haabout 3,200 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 18%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 1,950 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss is speeding up: about 209 hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 118 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2022, when about 338 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 | 14 ha | under 1 ha | 14 ha |
| 2002 | 61 ha | 4 ha | 65 ha |
| 2003 | 59 ha | 3 ha | 62 ha |
| 2004 | 25 ha | under 1 ha | 25 ha |
| 2005 | 73 ha | 12 ha | 84 ha |
| 2006 | 37 ha | under 1 ha | 37 ha |
| 2007 | 55 ha | under 1 ha | 55 ha |
| 2008 | 76 ha | 2 ha | 77 ha |
| 2009 | 11 ha | under 1 ha | 11 ha |
| 2010 | 9 ha | under 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2011 | 23 ha | 1 ha | 24 ha |
| 2012 | 47 ha | 5 ha | 51 ha |
| 2013 | 27 ha | 2 ha | 29 ha |
| 2014 | 53 ha | 3 ha | 56 ha |
| 2015 | 18 ha | 2 ha | 20 ha |
| 2016 | 74 ha | 6 ha | 80 ha |
| 2017 | 93 ha | 14 ha | 107 ha |
| 2018 | 117 ha | 42 ha | 159 ha |
| 2019 | 93 ha | 24 ha | 117 ha |
| 2020 | 91 ha | 35 ha | 126 ha |
| 2021 | 179 ha | 26 ha | 205 ha |
| 2022 | 305 ha | 33 ha | 338 ha |
| 2023 | 247 ha | 17 ha | 264 ha |
| 2024 | 86 ha | 9 ha | 94 ha |
| 2025 | 85 ha | 58 ha | 143 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Mzuzu?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good83% · 1,870 ha
- Loggingcan grow back7.3% · 164 ha
- Shifting farmingcan grow back5.1% · 114 ha
Also: towns and roads, 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
- 18,000 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 17,600 ha
- Overall change
- −359 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Mzuzu stayed about the same size, at about 17,600 hectares: new forest grew on about 428 hectares, and about 788 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 Mzuzu
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Songea197.9 km
Tanzania
- Tree cover
- 24%
- Air quality
- 128
- Lichinga244.4 km
Mozambique
- Tree cover
- 7%
- Air quality
- 81
- Katumba252.1 km
Tanzania
- Tree cover
- 67%
- Air quality
- 62
- Tunduma277.1 km
Tanzania
- Tree cover
- 3%
- Air quality
- 76
Also compared:Mzuzu vs Blantyre
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Frequently asked
Questions about Mzuzu
What is the air quality (AQI) in Mzuzu right now?
The latest reading for Mzuzu shows an AQI of 152 (Unhealthy), measured Nov 11, 18:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is CBD, Mzuzu, 300 m away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Everyone should limit long outdoor exertion; sensitive groups more so.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Mzuzu today?
At AQI 152 (Unhealthy): everyone should cut down long or hard exercise; sensitive groups should avoid it. Windows: keep them closed. Masks: wear an N95 outdoors. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.
What has the air quality in Mzuzu been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Mzuzu's daily AQI at 74 on average, from 51 on Nov 10 to an hourly peak of 157 on Nov 4. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Mzuzu lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Mzuzu has lost about 2,250 hectares of forest (about 3,200 football pitches): 18% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (87%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations. Forest loss is speeding up: about 209 hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 118 hectares a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Mzuzu stayed about the same size, at about 17,600 hectares: new forest grew on about 428 hectares, and about 788 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Mzuzu?
Mzuzu has an estimated 59,690 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 19.0% tree cover, 21 percentage points short of the 40% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Mzuzu need?
Mzuzu needs roughly 65,973 more trees to close a 21-point shortfall against its 40% tree-cover target — about 1,451 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Mzuzu's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Mzuzu, 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 2 km radius around Mzuzu; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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