City report · Oromiya, Ethiopia
Nek’emtē Air quality today
Air quality in Nek’emtē currently reads AQI 60 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 60
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 14.5
- tree cover
- 43.2%
- trees in this area
- 136K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 2 km radius around Nekemte, Ethiopia (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 22, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Nek’emtē · AQI 60 (Moderate)
Nek’emtē's tree count comes to 135,717 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 Nek’emtē today: AQI 60, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 14:00 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
14.5
PM10
20.9
NO₂
0.3
O₃
89.0
SO₂
0.6
CO
221.0
- 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 Nek’emtē's daily AQI at 83 on average, from 59 on Nov 11 to an hourly peak of 140 on Nov 5.
Where Nek’emtē stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Nek’emtē: Healthy tree cover
43.2% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
135,717
Target trees
135,717
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Nek’emtē lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Nek’emtē has lost about 737 hectares of forest (about 1,000 football pitches): 9.8% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (69%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from January 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 2 km north of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 737 haabout 1,000 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 9.8%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 509 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss is slowing down: about 37 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 59 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2020, when about 78 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 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2002 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2003 | 9 ha | 11 ha | 20 ha |
| 2004 | 2 ha | 6 ha | 9 ha |
| 2005 | 32 ha | under 1 ha | 32 ha |
| 2006 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2007 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2008 | 14 ha | 2 ha | 16 ha |
| 2009 | 6 ha | 8 ha | 14 ha |
| 2010 | 11 ha | 7 ha | 18 ha |
| 2011 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2012 | 46 ha | 13 ha | 59 ha |
| 2013 | 18 ha | 10 ha | 28 ha |
| 2014 | 13 ha | 7 ha | 20 ha |
| 2015 | 17 ha | 7 ha | 24 ha |
| 2016 | 25 ha | 13 ha | 39 ha |
| 2017 | 64 ha | 13 ha | 77 ha |
| 2018 | 43 ha | 7 ha | 49 ha |
| 2019 | 38 ha | 11 ha | 50 ha |
| 2020 | 50 ha | 28 ha | 78 ha |
| 2021 | 13 ha | 11 ha | 23 ha |
| 2022 | 25 ha | 14 ha | 39 ha |
| 2023 | 18 ha | 16 ha | 34 ha |
| 2024 | 25 ha | 24 ha | 48 ha |
| 2025 | 25 ha | 16 ha | 41 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Nek’emtē?
- Towns and roadscleared for good35% · 258 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good34% · 251 ha
- Loggingcan grow back29% · 217 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
- 16,800 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 17,800 ha
- Overall change
- +1,020 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Nek’emtē grew from about 16,800 hectares to 17,800 hectares, a net gain of about 1,020 hectares (+6%). New forest grew on about 1,320 hectares, while 308 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 Nek’emtē
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Jimma159.9 km
Ethiopia
- Tree cover
- 38%
- Air quality
- 67
- Debre Mark’os191.5 km
Ethiopia
- Tree cover
- 28%
- Air quality
- 25
- Hosa’ina222.8 km
Ethiopia
- Tree cover
- 18%
- Air quality
- 142
- Sebeta227.7 km
Ethiopia
- Tree cover
- 32%
- Air quality
- 75
- Burayu231.8 km
Ethiopia
- Tree cover
- 10%
- Air quality
- 89
- Addis Ababa241.3 km
Ethiopia
- Tree cover
- 10%
- Air quality
- 54
Build your own
Compare Nek’emtē with anywhere
This place
Nek’emtē
Use this data
Put Nek’emtē's numbers on your site
Free to embed. Updates itself as the measurement refreshes.
Frequently asked
Questions about Nek’emtē
What is the air quality (AQI) in Nek’emtē right now?
The latest reading for Nek’emtē shows an AQI of 60 (Moderate), observed Nov 11, 14:00 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 Nek’emtē today?
At AQI 60 (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 Nek’emtē been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Nek’emtē's daily AQI at 83 on average, from 59 on Nov 11 to an hourly peak of 140 on Nov 5. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Nek’emtē lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Nek’emtē has lost about 737 hectares of forest (about 1,000 football pitches): 9.8% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (69%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Forest loss is slowing down: about 37 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 59 hectares a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Nek’emtē grew from about 16,800 hectares to 17,800 hectares, a net gain of about 1,020 hectares (+6%). New forest grew on about 1,320 hectares, while 308 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Nek’emtē?
Nek’emtē has an estimated 135,717 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 43.2% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Nek’emtē need?
Nek’emtē has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Nek’emtē'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 Nekemte; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
See your own area
What does your neighborhood look like?
Pick any point and radius to get the same air-quality and tree-cover breakdown.
Check my address