City report · South Sulawesi, Indonesia
Palopo Air quality today
Air quality in Palopo currently reads AQI 62 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 62
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 14.7
- tree cover
- 19.0%
- trees in this area
- 37.6K
- more trees needed
- 21.8K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Palopo, Wara, Palopo City, South Sulawesi, Indonesia (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 20, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Palopo · AQI 62 (Moderate)
Palopo's tree count comes to 37,605 trees across 7.92 km² of land, 11 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 21,771 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Palopo today: AQI 62, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 17:00 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
14.7
PM10
16.5
NO₂
2.2
O₃
64.0
SO₂
1.2
CO
231.0
- 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 Palopo's daily AQI at 81 on average, from 66 on Nov 9 to an hourly peak of 122 on Nov 8.
This is the US EPA AQI. How it differs from Indonesia's ISPU
Where Palopo stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Palopo: Below target
19.0% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 7.92 km² of land.
Trees in this area
37,605
Target trees
59,376
More trees needed
21,771
CO₂ if planted / yr
479.0 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Palopo lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Palopo has lost about 2,910 hectares of forest (about 4,100 football pitches): 18% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (89%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
2017: satellite photo from October 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km south of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 2,910 haabout 4,100 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 18%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 2,600 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 129 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 157 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2009, when about 247 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 | 63 ha | 11 ha | 74 ha |
| 2002 | 66 ha | 25 ha | 91 ha |
| 2003 | 26 ha | 6 ha | 31 ha |
| 2004 | 130 ha | 33 ha | 163 ha |
| 2005 | 33 ha | 7 ha | 40 ha |
| 2006 | 50 ha | 11 ha | 61 ha |
| 2007 | 39 ha | 7 ha | 47 ha |
| 2008 | 44 ha | 12 ha | 56 ha |
| 2009 | 235 ha | 12 ha | 247 ha |
| 2010 | 36 ha | 1 ha | 37 ha |
| 2011 | 79 ha | 4 ha | 83 ha |
| 2012 | 94 ha | 5 ha | 99 ha |
| 2013 | 35 ha | 4 ha | 38 ha |
| 2014 | 160 ha | 8 ha | 168 ha |
| 2015 | 218 ha | 28 ha | 246 ha |
| 2016 | 140 ha | 34 ha | 174 ha |
| 2017 | 167 ha | 18 ha | 185 ha |
| 2018 | 144 ha | 11 ha | 155 ha |
| 2019 | 159 ha | 17 ha | 176 ha |
| 2020 | 84 ha | 11 ha | 95 ha |
| 2021 | 88 ha | 6 ha | 94 ha |
| 2022 | 145 ha | 5 ha | 150 ha |
| 2023 | 199 ha | 8 ha | 207 ha |
| 2024 | 50 ha | 6 ha | 56 ha |
| 2025 | 118 ha | 19 ha | 137 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Palopo?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good83% · 2,420 ha
- Shifting farmingcan grow back9.7% · 281 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good6.2% · 180 ha
Also: storms, floods and other natural causes, 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
- 16,500 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 15,500 ha
- Overall change
- −992 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Palopo shrank from about 16,500 hectares to 15,500 hectares, a net loss of about 992 hectares (−6%). New forest grew on about 203 hectares, but 1,200 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 Palopo
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Parepare130.0 km
Indonesia
- Tree cover
- 25%
- Air quality
- 51
- Watampone172.5 km
Indonesia
- Tree cover
- 22%
- Air quality
- 97
- Palu234.6 km
Indonesia
- Tree cover
- 12%
- Air quality
- 49
- Makassar254.3 km
Indonesia
- Tree cover
- 8%
- Air quality
- 105
- Kendari279.6 km
Indonesia
- Tree cover
- 19%
- Air quality
- 58
- Baubau382.9 km
Indonesia
- Tree cover
- 26%
- Air quality
- 52
Build your own
Compare Palopo with anywhere
This place
Palopo
Use this data
Put Palopo's numbers on your site
Free to embed. Updates itself as the measurement refreshes.
Frequently asked
Questions about Palopo
What is the air quality (AQI) in Palopo right now?
The latest reading for Palopo shows an AQI of 62 (Moderate), observed Nov 11, 17:00 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 Palopo today?
At AQI 62 (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 Palopo been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Palopo's daily AQI at 81 on average, from 66 on Nov 9 to an hourly peak of 122 on Nov 8. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Is Palopo's AQI the same as Indonesia's ISPU?
No. Airleaf shows the US EPA Air Quality Index (AQI), the scale used by IQAir and most air-quality apps. Indonesia's official index is the ISPU (Indeks Standar Pencemar Udara), published by the environment ministry from its own monitoring stations. Its bands are 0–50 Baik (good), 51–100 Sedang (moderate), 101–200 Tidak Sehat (unhealthy), 201–300 Sangat Tidak Sehat (very unhealthy) and over 300 Berbahaya (hazardous). The two indexes use different breakpoints and averaging times, so the same air can score differently on each.
How much forest has the area around Palopo lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Palopo has lost about 2,910 hectares of forest (about 4,100 football pitches): 18% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (89%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations. Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 129 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 157 hectares a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Palopo shrank from about 16,500 hectares to 15,500 hectares, a net loss of about 992 hectares (−6%). New forest grew on about 203 hectares, but 1,200 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Palopo?
Palopo has an estimated 37,605 trees across the 7.92 km² of land measured — 19.0% tree cover, 11 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Palopo need?
Palopo needs roughly 21,771 more trees to close a 11-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 479.0 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Palopo'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 Palopo; 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