City report · Montenegro
Podgorica Air quality today
Air quality in Podgorica currently reads AQI 65 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 65
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 16.4
- tree cover
- 26.3%
- trees in this area
- 82.5K
- more trees needed
- 11.6K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Downtown, Podgorica, Montenegro (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 17, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Podgorica · AQI 65 (Moderate)
Podgorica's tree count comes to 82,541 trees across 12.56 km² of land, 4 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 11,612 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Podgorica today: AQI 65, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 17:00 local time via OpenAQ and World Air Quality Index Project ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Podgorica UB, Montenegro, 2 km away · median of 2 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
16.4
PM10
20.5
NO₂
25.6
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
197.2
Data: OpenAQ · EEA, World Air Quality Index Project, Agencija za zaštitu prirode i životne sredine - Montenegro Environement Protection Agency
- 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 Podgorica's daily AQI at 69 on average, from 56 on Nov 11 to an hourly peak of 148 on Nov 8.
Where Podgorica stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Podgorica: Below target
26.3% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.56 km² of land.
Trees in this area
82,541
Target trees
94,153
More trees needed
11,612
CO₂ if planted / yr
255.5 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Podgorica lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Podgorica has lost about 192 hectares of forest (about 270 football pitches): 6.6% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was wildfires (37%), after which forest can grow back. About 66 hectares (34%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from August 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km northeast of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 192 haabout 270 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 6.6%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 66 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2006, when about 20 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 | 11 ha | 5 ha | 15 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 3 ha |
| 2004 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2005 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2006 | 15 ha | 5 ha | 20 ha |
| 2007 | 2 ha | 11 ha | 14 ha |
| 2008 | 3 ha | 6 ha | 9 ha |
| 2009 | 2 ha | 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2010 | 2 ha | 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2011 | 3 ha | 9 ha | 12 ha |
| 2012 | 3 ha | 8 ha | 11 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | 3 ha | 4 ha |
| 2014 | 2 ha | 4 ha | 5 ha |
| 2015 | 2 ha | 2 ha | 3 ha |
| 2016 | 1 ha | 4 ha | 5 ha |
| 2017 | 2 ha | 5 ha | 8 ha |
| 2018 | 2 ha | 3 ha | 5 ha |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | 3 ha | 3 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2021 | 3 ha | 8 ha | 11 ha |
| 2022 | 2 ha | 14 ha | 15 ha |
| 2023 | 2 ha | 13 ha | 15 ha |
| 2024 | 1 ha | 6 ha | 7 ha |
| 2025 | 6 ha | 12 ha | 18 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Podgorica?
- Wildfirescan grow back37% · 71 ha
- Loggingcan grow back19% · 37 ha
- Mining and energycleared for good12% · 23 ha
Also: farms, pasture and plantations, towns and roads, 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
- 2,770 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 2,670 ha
- Overall change
- −103 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Podgorica shrank from about 2,770 hectares to 2,670 hectares, a net loss of about 103 hectares (−3.7%). New forest grew on about 89 hectares, but 191 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 Podgorica
What is the air quality (AQI) in Podgorica right now?
The latest reading for Podgorica shows an AQI of 65 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 17:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Podgorica UB, Montenegro, 2 km away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Podgorica today?
At AQI 65 (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 Podgorica been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Podgorica's daily AQI at 69 on average, from 56 on Nov 11 to an hourly peak of 148 on Nov 8. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Podgorica lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Podgorica has lost about 192 hectares of forest (about 270 football pitches): 6.6% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was wildfires (37%), after which forest can grow back. About 66 hectares (34%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Podgorica shrank from about 2,770 hectares to 2,670 hectares, a net loss of about 103 hectares (−3.7%). New forest grew on about 89 hectares, but 191 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Podgorica?
Podgorica has an estimated 82,541 trees across the 12.56 km² of land measured — 26.3% tree cover, 4 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Podgorica need?
Podgorica needs roughly 11,612 more trees to close a 4-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 255.5 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Podgorica's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Downtown, 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 Downtown; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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