City report · KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Newcastle Air quality today
Air quality in Newcastle currently reads AQI 49 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Air quality right now
AQI 49
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 10.0
- tree cover
- 13.0%
- trees in this area
- 40.8K
- more trees needed
- 53.4K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Newcastle CBD, Newcastle, 2940, 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.
Newcastle · AQI 49 (Good)
Newcastle's tree count comes to 40,841 trees across 12.57 km², 17 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 53,407 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Newcastle today: AQI 49, Good
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 10, 19:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 4 ground-station cities within 225 km, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Estimate · model corrected with 4 station cities within 225 km, e.g. Ermelo and Embalenhle
Health signal
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
PM2.5
10.0
PM10
12.5
NO₂
5.7
O₃
93.0
SO₂
7.8
CO
138.0
- 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 Newcastle's daily AQI at 46 on average, from 10 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 85 on Nov 10.
Where Newcastle stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Newcastle: Critically low
13.0% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
40,841
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
53,407
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,175 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Newcastle lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Newcastle has lost about 49 hectares of forest (about 68 football pitches): 23% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 6 hectares (12%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from May 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 49 haabout 68 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 23%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 6 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2019, when about 10 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 2 ha |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2005 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | 3 ha | 3 ha |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | 3 ha | 3 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | 4 ha | 4 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | 5 ha | 5 ha |
| 2016 | 1 ha | 2 ha | 3 ha |
| 2017 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | 10 ha | 10 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | 4 ha | 4 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | 9 ha | 10 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Newcastle?
- Loggingcan grow back83% · 40 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good10% · 5 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good1.6% · under 1 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
- 1,180 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 1,220 ha
- Overall change
- +35 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Newcastle grew from about 1,180 hectares to 1,220 hectares, a net gain of about 35 hectares (+3%). New forest grew on about 95 hectares, while 60 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 Newcastle
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Vryheid84.6 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 33%
- Air quality
- 13
- Ladysmith90.3 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 29%
- Air quality
- 41
- Standerton114.2 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 11%
- Air quality
- 68
- Ermelo136.3 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 16%
- Air quality
- 43
- eMbalenhle160.8 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 1%
- Air quality
- 64
- Butha-Buthe199.3 km
Lesotho
- Tree cover
- 10%
- Air quality
- 19
Build your own
Compare Newcastle with anywhere
This place
Newcastle
Use this data
Put Newcastle's numbers on your site
Free to embed. Updates itself as the measurement refreshes.
Frequently asked
Questions about Newcastle
What is the air quality (AQI) in Newcastle right now?
The latest reading for Newcastle shows an AQI of 49 (Good), observed Nov 10, 19:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 4 ground-station cities within 225 km, US EPA index. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Newcastle today?
At AQI 49 (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 Newcastle been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Newcastle's daily AQI at 46 on average, from 10 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 85 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 Newcastle lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Newcastle has lost about 49 hectares of forest (about 68 football pitches): 23% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 6 hectares (12%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Newcastle grew from about 1,180 hectares to 1,220 hectares, a net gain of about 35 hectares (+3%). New forest grew on about 95 hectares, while 60 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Newcastle?
Newcastle has an estimated 40,841 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 13.0% tree cover, 17 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Newcastle need?
Newcastle needs roughly 53,407 more trees to close a 17-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,175 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Newcastle'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 Newcastle CBD; 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