City report · Nairobi County, Kenya
Nairobi Air quality today
Air quality in Nairobi currently reads AQI 96 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 96
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 33.1
- tree cover
- 26.2%
- trees in this area
- 82.3K
- more trees needed
- 11.9K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Nairobi Central, Nairobi, Kenya (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 4, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Nairobi · AQI 96 (Moderate)
Nairobi's tree count comes to 82,310 trees across 12.57 km², 4 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 11,938 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Nairobi today: AQI 96, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 19:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Kitisuru, 9.2 km away
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
33.1
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient
- 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 Nairobi's daily AQI at 46 on average, from 41 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 65 on Nov 4.
Where Nairobi stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Nairobi: Below target
26.2% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
82,310
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
11,938
CO₂ if planted / yr
262.6 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Nairobi lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Nairobi has lost about 336 hectares of forest (about 470 football pitches): 9.2% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (91%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from January 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 5 km north of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 336 haabout 470 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 9.2%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 307 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2001, when about 103 hectares of forest were lost.
Nairobi's full deforestation reportHectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 96 ha | 7 ha | 103 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2003 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2004 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2005 | 6 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2006 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2007 | 20 ha | under 1 ha | 20 ha |
| 2008 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2009 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2010 | 19 ha | 2 ha | 20 ha |
| 2011 | 11 ha | 2 ha | 12 ha |
| 2012 | 13 ha | under 1 ha | 13 ha |
| 2013 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2014 | 6 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2015 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2016 | 15 ha | 3 ha | 18 ha |
| 2017 | 17 ha | 2 ha | 19 ha |
| 2018 | 6 ha | 7 ha | 13 ha |
| 2019 | 17 ha | 2 ha | 19 ha |
| 2020 | 10 ha | under 1 ha | 10 ha |
| 2021 | 6 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2022 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2023 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2024 | 10 ha | 2 ha | 12 ha |
| 2025 | 17 ha | under 1 ha | 18 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Nairobi?
- Towns and roadscleared for good79% · 267 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good12% · 40 ha
- Loggingcan grow back6.3% · 21 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
- 8,390 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 7,780 ha
- Overall change
- −609 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Nairobi shrank from about 8,390 hectares to 7,780 hectares, a net loss of about 609 hectares (−7.3%). New forest grew on about 47 hectares, but 656 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 Nairobi
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Kiambu12.6 km
Kenya
- Tree cover
- 42%
- Air quality
- 97
- Karuri13.6 km
Kenya
- Tree cover
- 50%
- Air quality
- 96
- Ongata Rongai13.8 km
Kenya
- Tree cover
- 29%
- Air quality
- 97
- Kikuyu17.6 km
Kenya
- Tree cover
- 45%
- Air quality
- 98
- Ngong18.1 km
Kenya
- Tree cover
- 34%
- Air quality
- 97
- Mlolongo18.6 km
Kenya
- Tree cover
- 4%
- Air quality
- 108
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Frequently asked
Questions about Nairobi
What is the air quality (AQI) in Nairobi right now?
The latest reading for Nairobi shows an AQI of 96 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 19:00 local time by the Kitisuru ground monitoring station, 9.2 km away, via OpenAQ. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Nairobi today?
At AQI 96 (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 Nairobi been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Nairobi's daily AQI at 46 on average, from 41 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 65 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 Nairobi lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Nairobi has lost about 336 hectares of forest (about 470 football pitches): 9.2% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (91%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Nairobi shrank from about 8,390 hectares to 7,780 hectares, a net loss of about 609 hectares (−7.3%). New forest grew on about 47 hectares, but 656 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Nairobi?
Nairobi has an estimated 82,310 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 26.2% tree cover, 4 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Nairobi need?
Nairobi needs roughly 11,938 more trees to close a 4-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 262.6 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Nairobi's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Nairobi Central, 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 Nairobi Central; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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