City report · Limpopo, South Africa
Polokwane Air quality today
Air quality in Polokwane currently reads AQI 58 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 58
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 13.0
- tree cover
- 22.2%
- trees in this area
- 69.7K
- more trees needed
- 24.5K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Polokwane Central, Polokwane, 0700, South Africa (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 17, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Polokwane · AQI 58 (Moderate)
Polokwane's tree count comes to 69,743 trees across 12.57 km², 8 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 24,504 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Polokwane today: AQI 58, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 18:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · South Farm, 15.5 km away · median of 5 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
13.0
PM10
22.5
NO₂
9.1
O₃
107.2
SO₂
4.0
CO
200.5
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 Polokwane's daily AQI at 45 on average, from 18 on Nov 9 to an hourly peak of 65 on Nov 5.
Where Polokwane stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Polokwane: Below target
22.2% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
69,743
Target trees
94,247
More trees needed
24,504
CO₂ if planted / yr
539.1 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Polokwane lost?
There was very little forest around Polokwane in 2000, about 55 hectares, and about 2 hectares of it has been lost since. Only fairly dense woodland counts as forest in these maps, so scattered street and garden trees don't show up here.
2017: satellite photo from August 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
The worst year was 2012, when about 1 hectare 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2005 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2017 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 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 Polokwane?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good47% · under 1 ha
- Unknown causescause unknown47% · under 1 ha
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
- 340 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 382 ha
- Overall change
- +42 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Polokwane grew from about 340 hectares to 382 hectares, a net gain of about 42 hectares (+12%). New forest grew on about 44 hectares, while 2 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 Polokwane
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Mokopane56.7 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 22%
- Air quality
- 47
- Thohoyandou148.7 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 42%
- Air quality
- 75
- Phalaborwa170.0 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 37%
- Air quality
- 56
- Somaroboro172.6 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 4%
- Air quality
- 64
- Hammanskraal205.5 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 6%
- Air quality
- 76
- Middelburg208.0 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 26%
- Air quality
- 57
Build your own
Compare Polokwane with anywhere
This place
Polokwane
Use this data
Put Polokwane's numbers on your site
Free to embed. Updates itself as the measurement refreshes.
Frequently asked
Questions about Polokwane
What is the air quality (AQI) in Polokwane right now?
The latest reading for Polokwane shows an AQI of 58 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 18:00 local time by 5 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is South Farm, 15.5 km away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Polokwane today?
At AQI 58 (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 Polokwane been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Polokwane's daily AQI at 45 on average, from 18 on Nov 9 to an hourly peak of 65 on Nov 5. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Polokwane lost since 2001?
There was very little forest around Polokwane in 2000, about 55 hectares, and about 2 hectares of it has been lost since. Only fairly dense woodland counts as forest in these maps, so scattered street and garden trees don't show up here. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Polokwane grew from about 340 hectares to 382 hectares, a net gain of about 42 hectares (+12%). New forest grew on about 44 hectares, while 2 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Polokwane?
Polokwane has an estimated 69,743 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 22.2% tree cover, 8 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Polokwane need?
Polokwane needs roughly 24,504 more trees to close a 8-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 539.1 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Polokwane's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Polokwane Central, 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 Polokwane Central; 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