City report · Enugu State, Nigeria
Nsukka Air quality today
Air quality in Nsukka currently reads AQI 169 (Unhealthy): Everyone should limit long outdoor exertion; sensitive groups more so.
AQI 169
Air quality right now
Unhealthy
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 80.6
- tree cover
- 30.9%
- trees in this area
- 97.1K
- more trees needed
- 28.6K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Government Station, Nsukka, Enugu, Nigeria (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Jan 6, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Nsukka · AQI 169 (Unhealthy)
Nsukka's tree count comes to 97,075 trees across 12.57 km², 9 points below the 40% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 28,588 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Nsukka today: AQI 169, Unhealthy
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 20:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · National Center for Energy Research and Development, UNN, 2.4 km away
Health signal
Everyone should limit long outdoor exertion; sensitive groups more so.
PM2.5
80.6
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, Kevin, EAR-G
- 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 Nsukka's daily AQI at 95 on average, from 80 on Nov 10 to an hourly peak of 186 on Nov 8.
Where Nsukka stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Nsukka: Below target
30.9% tree cover against a 40% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
97,075
Target trees
125,663
More trees needed
28,588
CO₂ if planted / yr
628.9 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Nsukka lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Nsukka has lost about 108 hectares of forest (about 150 football pitches): 5.4% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (92%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from February 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 5 km southeast of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 108 haabout 150 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 5.4%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 99 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2025, when about 12 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 | 3 ha | 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2005 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2006 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2008 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2009 | 9 ha | under 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2010 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2012 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2013 | 12 ha | under 1 ha | 12 ha |
| 2014 | 9 ha | 1 ha | 10 ha |
| 2015 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2016 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2017 | 10 ha | under 1 ha | 10 ha |
| 2018 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2019 | 7 ha | under 1 ha | 7 ha |
| 2020 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2021 | 6 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2022 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2023 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2024 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2025 | 11 ha | 1 ha | 12 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Nsukka?
- Towns and roadscleared for good71% · 76 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good22% · 23 ha
- Unknown causescause unknown7.6% · 8 ha
Also: shifting farming.
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
- 24,300 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 24,900 ha
- Overall change
- +612 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Nsukka grew from about 24,300 hectares to 24,900 hectares, a net gain of about 612 hectares (+2.5%). New forest grew on about 769 hectares, while 157 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
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Frequently asked
Questions about Nsukka
What is the air quality (AQI) in Nsukka right now?
The latest reading for Nsukka shows an AQI of 169 (Unhealthy), measured Nov 11, 20:00 local time by the National Center for Energy Research and Development, UNN ground monitoring station, 2.4 km away, via OpenAQ. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Everyone should limit long outdoor exertion; sensitive groups more so.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Nsukka today?
At AQI 169 (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 Nsukka been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Nsukka's daily AQI at 95 on average, from 80 on Nov 10 to an hourly peak of 186 on Nov 8. On 3 of those days the average was above 100, unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Nsukka lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Nsukka has lost about 108 hectares of forest (about 150 football pitches): 5.4% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (92%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Nsukka grew from about 24,300 hectares to 24,900 hectares, a net gain of about 612 hectares (+2.5%). New forest grew on about 769 hectares, while 157 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Nsukka?
Nsukka has an estimated 97,075 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 30.9% tree cover, 9 percentage points short of the 40% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Nsukka need?
Nsukka needs roughly 28,588 more trees to close a 9-point shortfall against its 40% tree-cover target — about 628.9 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Nsukka's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Government Station, 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 Government Station; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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