City report · England, United Kingdom
Plymouth Air quality today
Air quality in Plymouth currently reads AQI 55 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 55
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 11.7
- tree cover
- 17.6%
- trees in this area
- 41.1K
- more trees needed
- 29.0K
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Plymouth, UK (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Sep 15, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Plymouth · AQI 55 (Moderate)
Plymouth's tree count comes to 41,137 trees across 3.6 sq mi (9.35 km²) of land, 12 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 28,983 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Plymouth today: AQI 55, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 10, 18:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 2 ground-station cities within 145 km, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Estimate · model corrected with 2 station cities within 90.1 mi (145 km), e.g. Exeter and Swansea
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
11.7
PM10
7.9
NO₂
12.9
O₃
35.0
SO₂
0.4
CO
209.0
- 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 Plymouth's daily AQI at 54 on average, from 39 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 72 on Nov 7.
This is the US EPA AQI. How it differs from the UK's Daily Air Quality Index
Where Plymouth stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Plymouth: Critically low
17.6% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 3.6 sq mi (9.35 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
41,137
Target trees
70,120
More trees needed
28,983
CO₂ if planted / yr
637.6 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Plymouth lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Plymouth has lost about 81 hectares of forest (about 110 football pitches): 2.6% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 12 hectares (15%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2018: satellite photo from June 2018 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 81 haabout 110 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 2.6%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 12 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2005, when about 18 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 | 4 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 | 3 ha | 3 ha |
| 2005 | 1 ha | 16 ha | 18 ha |
| 2006 | 1 ha | 4 ha | 5 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | 5 ha | 5 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | 16 ha | 16 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | 3 ha | 3 ha |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | 4 ha | 4 ha |
| 2013 | 1 ha | 3 ha | 4 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2015 | 6 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | 3 ha | 3 ha |
| 2017 | 2 ha | 2 ha | 4 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 2 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 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 Plymouth?
- Loggingcan grow back79% · 64 ha
- Mining and energycleared for good15% · 12 ha
- Unknown causescause unknown5.8% · 5 ha
Also: towns and roads.
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
- 3,780 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 3,860 ha
- Overall change
- +86 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Plymouth grew from about 3,780 hectares to 3,860 hectares, a net gain of about 86 hectares (+2.3%). New forest grew on about 198 hectares, while 112 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 Plymouth
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Exeter58.5 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 24%
- Air quality
- 85
- Swansea139.6 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 26%
- Air quality
- 34
- Cardiff140.5 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 17%
- Air quality
- 46
- Saint Peter Port153.4 km
Guernsey
- Tree cover
- 36%
- Air quality
- 21
- Newport157.2 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 23%
- Air quality
- 60
- Bristol162.1 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 26%
- Air quality
- 17
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Frequently asked
Questions about Plymouth
What is the air quality (AQI) in Plymouth right now?
The latest reading for Plymouth shows an AQI of 55 (Moderate), observed Nov 10, 18:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 2 ground-station cities within 145 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 Plymouth today?
At AQI 55 (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 Plymouth been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Plymouth's daily AQI at 54 on average, from 39 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 72 on Nov 7. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Is Plymouth's AQI the same as the UK's Daily Air Quality Index?
No. Airleaf shows the US EPA Air Quality Index (AQI), the scale used by IQAir and most air-quality apps. The UK's Daily Air Quality Index (DAQI), published by Defra, runs from 1 to 10: 1–3 low, 4–6 moderate, 7–9 high and 10 very high. It is a different scale altogether, so a US AQI figure can't be read on it directly; both, though, are built from the same main pollutants, with fine particles (PM2.5) usually the one that decides the reading.
How much forest has the area around Plymouth lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Plymouth has lost about 81 hectares of forest (about 110 football pitches): 2.6% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 12 hectares (15%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Plymouth grew from about 3,780 hectares to 3,860 hectares, a net gain of about 86 hectares (+2.3%). New forest grew on about 198 hectares, while 112 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Plymouth?
Plymouth has an estimated 41,137 trees across the 3.6 sq mi (9.35 km²) of land measured — 17.6% tree cover, 12 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Plymouth need?
Plymouth needs roughly 28,983 more trees to close a 12-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 637.6 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Plymouth'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 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Plymouth; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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