City report · Republic of the Congo
Nkayi Air quality today
Air quality in Nkayi currently reads AQI 52 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 52
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 8.8
- tree cover
- 11.1%
- trees in this area
- 34.9K
- more trees needed
- 59.4K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Nkayi, Republic of the Congo (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 1, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Nkayi · AQI 52 (Moderate)
Nkayi's tree count comes to 34,872 trees across 12.57 km², 19 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 59,376 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Nkayi today: AQI 52, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 08:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 3 ground-station cities within 245 km, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Estimate · model corrected with 3 station cities within 245 km, e.g. Brazzaville and Kinshasa
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
8.8
PM10
2.4
NO₂
1.7
O₃
48.0
SO₂
0.4
CO
145.0
- 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 Nkayi's daily AQI at 27 on average, from 16 on Nov 11 to an hourly peak of 52 on Nov 5.
Where Nkayi stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Nkayi: Critically low
11.1% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
34,872
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
59,376
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,306 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Nkayi lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Nkayi has lost about 1,030 hectares of forest (about 1,400 football pitches): 13% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (94%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
2017: satellite photo from August 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km north of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1,030 haabout 1,400 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 13%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 968 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2012, when about 383 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 | 27 ha | under 1 ha | 27 ha |
| 2002 | 158 ha | 2 ha | 160 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2004 | 102 ha | 4 ha | 106 ha |
| 2005 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2006 | 28 ha | under 1 ha | 29 ha |
| 2007 | 60 ha | under 1 ha | 61 ha |
| 2008 | 10 ha | 1 ha | 11 ha |
| 2009 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2010 | 30 ha | 2 ha | 31 ha |
| 2011 | 37 ha | under 1 ha | 38 ha |
| 2012 | 371 ha | 12 ha | 383 ha |
| 2013 | 19 ha | 1 ha | 20 ha |
| 2014 | 11 ha | 3 ha | 14 ha |
| 2015 | 26 ha | 8 ha | 34 ha |
| 2016 | 9 ha | 6 ha | 16 ha |
| 2017 | 21 ha | 8 ha | 29 ha |
| 2018 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2019 | 9 ha | 1 ha | 10 ha |
| 2020 | 6 ha | 5 ha | 11 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2022 | 5 ha | 6 ha | 10 ha |
| 2023 | 10 ha | 1 ha | 11 ha |
| 2024 | 7 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2025 | 12 ha | 2 ha | 14 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Nkayi?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good88% · 912 ha
- Shifting farmingcan grow back6.1% · 63 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good5.4% · 55 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
- 1,700 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 804 ha
- Overall change
- −891 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Nkayi shrank from about 1,700 hectares to 804 hectares, a net loss of about 891 hectares (−53%). New forest grew on about 15 hectares, but 906 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 Nkayi
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Pointe-Noire170.9 km
Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 6%
- Air quality
- 65
- Matadi185.0 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 4%
- Air quality
- 32
- Boma187.1 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 17%
- Air quality
- 35
- Cabinda195.2 km
Angola
- Tree cover
- 6%
- Air quality
- 60
- Mbanza-Ngungu211.3 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 15%
- Air quality
- 103
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Frequently asked
Questions about Nkayi
What is the air quality (AQI) in Nkayi right now?
The latest reading for Nkayi shows an AQI of 52 (Moderate), observed Nov 11, 08:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 3 ground-station cities within 245 km, 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 Nkayi today?
At AQI 52 (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 Nkayi been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Nkayi's daily AQI at 27 on average, from 16 on Nov 11 to an hourly peak of 52 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 Nkayi lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Nkayi has lost about 1,030 hectares of forest (about 1,400 football pitches): 13% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (94%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Nkayi shrank from about 1,700 hectares to 804 hectares, a net loss of about 891 hectares (−53%). New forest grew on about 15 hectares, but 906 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Nkayi?
Nkayi has an estimated 34,872 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 11.1% tree cover, 19 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Nkayi need?
Nkayi needs roughly 59,376 more trees to close a 19-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,306 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Nkayi'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 Nkayi; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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