City report · Republic of the Congo
Pointe-Noire Air quality today
Air quality in Pointe-Noire 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)
- 18.9
- tree cover
- 6.2%
- trees in this area
- 17.4K
- more trees needed
- 66.6K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Pointe-Noire, Republic of the Congo (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 14, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Pointe-Noire · AQI 65 (Moderate)
Pointe-Noire's tree count comes to 17,355 trees across 11.2 km² of land, 24 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 66,620 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Pointe-Noire today: AQI 65, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 10, 20:00 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
18.9
PM10
22.2
NO₂
9.6
O₃
29.0
SO₂
1.1
CO
188.0
- 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 Pointe-Noire's daily AQI at 61 on average, from 46 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 104 on Nov 7.
Where Pointe-Noire stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Pointe-Noire: Critically low
6.2% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 11.2 km² of land.
Trees in this area
17,355
Target trees
83,975
More trees needed
66,620
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,466 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Pointe-Noire lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Pointe-Noire has lost about 1,660 hectares of forest (about 2,300 football pitches): 40% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (over 99%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from April 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km north of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1,660 haabout 2,300 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 40%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 1,650 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2011, when about 253 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 | 101 ha | under 1 ha | 101 ha |
| 2002 | 70 ha | under 1 ha | 70 ha |
| 2003 | 51 ha | under 1 ha | 51 ha |
| 2004 | 13 ha | under 1 ha | 13 ha |
| 2005 | 83 ha | under 1 ha | 83 ha |
| 2006 | 82 ha | under 1 ha | 82 ha |
| 2007 | 147 ha | under 1 ha | 147 ha |
| 2008 | 113 ha | under 1 ha | 113 ha |
| 2009 | 171 ha | 1 ha | 172 ha |
| 2010 | 151 ha | under 1 ha | 151 ha |
| 2011 | 252 ha | 1 ha | 253 ha |
| 2012 | 6 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2013 | 103 ha | 1 ha | 104 ha |
| 2014 | 122 ha | under 1 ha | 122 ha |
| 2015 | 35 ha | under 1 ha | 36 ha |
| 2016 | 23 ha | under 1 ha | 23 ha |
| 2017 | 41 ha | under 1 ha | 41 ha |
| 2018 | 20 ha | under 1 ha | 20 ha |
| 2019 | 24 ha | under 1 ha | 24 ha |
| 2020 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2021 | 9 ha | under 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2022 | 13 ha | under 1 ha | 13 ha |
| 2023 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2024 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2025 | 7 ha | under 1 ha | 7 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Pointe-Noire?
- Towns and roadscleared for good88% · 1,460 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good7.1% · 118 ha
- Mining and energycleared for good4.7% · 78 ha
Also: 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
- 2,280 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 689 ha
- Overall change
- −1,600 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Pointe-Noire shrank from about 2,280 hectares to 689 hectares, a net loss of about 1,600 hectares (−70%). New forest grew on about 38 hectares, but 1,630 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 Pointe-Noire
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Cabinda94.8 km
Angola
- Tree cover
- 6%
- Air quality
- 60
- Moanda139.8 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 4%
- Air quality
- 54
- Soyo161.1 km
Angola
- Tree cover
- 24%
- Air quality
- 53
- Nkayi170.9 km
Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 11%
- Air quality
- 52
- Boma177.9 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 17%
- Air quality
- 35
Also compared:Pointe-Noire vs Brazzaville
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Frequently asked
Questions about Pointe-Noire
What is the air quality (AQI) in Pointe-Noire right now?
The latest reading for Pointe-Noire shows an AQI of 65 (Moderate), observed Nov 10, 20:00 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 Pointe-Noire 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 Pointe-Noire been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Pointe-Noire's daily AQI at 61 on average, from 46 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 104 on Nov 7. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Pointe-Noire lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Pointe-Noire has lost about 1,660 hectares of forest (about 2,300 football pitches): 40% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (over 99%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Pointe-Noire shrank from about 2,280 hectares to 689 hectares, a net loss of about 1,600 hectares (−70%). New forest grew on about 38 hectares, but 1,630 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Pointe-Noire?
Pointe-Noire has an estimated 17,355 trees across the 11.2 km² of land measured — 6.2% tree cover, 24 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Pointe-Noire need?
Pointe-Noire needs roughly 66,620 more trees to close a 24-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,466 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Pointe-Noire'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 Pointe-Noire; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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