City report · KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Pietermaritzburg Air quality today
Air quality in Pietermaritzburg currently reads AQI 69 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 69
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 18.8
- tree cover
- 35.6%
- trees in this area
- 112K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 2 km radius around Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg, 3201, South Africa (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 9, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Pietermaritzburg · AQI 69 (Moderate)
Pietermaritzburg's tree count comes to 111,617 trees across 12.54 km² of land, already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Pietermaritzburg today: AQI 69, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 20:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Pietermaritzburg Airport - ORIBI, 5.8 km away · median of 3 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
18.8
PM10
27.3
NO₂
4.0
O₃
31.5
SO₂
3.2
CO
0.0
Data: OpenAQ · South Africa, South African Air Quality Information System (SAAQIS)
- 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 Pietermaritzburg's daily AQI at 58 on average, from 28 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 125 on Nov 10.
Where Pietermaritzburg stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Pietermaritzburg: Healthy tree cover
35.6% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.54 km² of land.
Trees in this area
111,617
Target trees
111,617
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Pietermaritzburg lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Pietermaritzburg has lost about 2,440 hectares of forest (about 3,400 football pitches): 24% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 285 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 about 7 km west of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 2,440 haabout 3,400 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 24%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 285 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss is slowing down: about 50 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 112 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2005, when about 225 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 | 162 ha | 163 ha |
| 2002 | 3 ha | 97 ha | 100 ha |
| 2003 | 2 ha | 129 ha | 131 ha |
| 2004 | 2 ha | 66 ha | 68 ha |
| 2005 | 26 ha | 200 ha | 225 ha |
| 2006 | 11 ha | 204 ha | 215 ha |
| 2007 | 2 ha | 40 ha | 42 ha |
| 2008 | 3 ha | 40 ha | 43 ha |
| 2009 | 1 ha | 59 ha | 60 ha |
| 2010 | 5 ha | 62 ha | 67 ha |
| 2011 | 5 ha | 85 ha | 90 ha |
| 2012 | 1 ha | 186 ha | 187 ha |
| 2013 | 6 ha | 48 ha | 55 ha |
| 2014 | 18 ha | 67 ha | 85 ha |
| 2015 | 25 ha | 80 ha | 105 ha |
| 2016 | 4 ha | 135 ha | 139 ha |
| 2017 | 27 ha | 111 ha | 138 ha |
| 2018 | 66 ha | 63 ha | 128 ha |
| 2019 | 11 ha | 43 ha | 54 ha |
| 2020 | 11 ha | 91 ha | 102 ha |
| 2021 | 9 ha | 41 ha | 50 ha |
| 2022 | 14 ha | 35 ha | 49 ha |
| 2023 | 3 ha | 12 ha | 15 ha |
| 2024 | 16 ha | 32 ha | 48 ha |
| 2025 | 14 ha | 73 ha | 86 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Pietermaritzburg?
- Loggingcan grow back88% · 2,150 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good7.5% · 184 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good4.1% · 101 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
- 11,500 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 11,200 ha
- Overall change
- −278 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Pietermaritzburg shrank from about 11,500 hectares to 11,200 hectares, a net loss of about 278 hectares (−2.4%). New forest grew on about 308 hectares, but 586 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 Pietermaritzburg
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Mpumalanga32.1 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 24%
- Air quality
- 107
- Pinetown52.8 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 61%
- Air quality
- 87
- Ntuzuma55.4 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 31%
- Air quality
- 87
- Durban67.0 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 8%
- Air quality
- 87
- KwaDukuza92.5 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 44%
- Air quality
- 29
- Ladysmith131.9 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 29%
- Air quality
- 37
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Frequently asked
Questions about Pietermaritzburg
What is the air quality (AQI) in Pietermaritzburg right now?
The latest reading for Pietermaritzburg shows an AQI of 69 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 20:00 local time by 3 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Pietermaritzburg Airport - ORIBI, 5.8 km away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Pietermaritzburg today?
At AQI 69 (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 Pietermaritzburg been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Pietermaritzburg's daily AQI at 58 on average, from 28 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 125 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 Pietermaritzburg lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Pietermaritzburg has lost about 2,440 hectares of forest (about 3,400 football pitches): 24% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 285 hectares (12%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Forest loss is slowing down: about 50 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 112 hectares a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Pietermaritzburg shrank from about 11,500 hectares to 11,200 hectares, a net loss of about 278 hectares (−2.4%). New forest grew on about 308 hectares, but 586 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Pietermaritzburg?
Pietermaritzburg has an estimated 111,617 trees across the 12.54 km² of land measured — 35.6% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Pietermaritzburg need?
Pietermaritzburg has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Pietermaritzburg's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Scottsville, 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 Scottsville; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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