City report · Gauteng, South Africa
Pretoria Air quality today
Air quality in Pretoria currently reads AQI 74 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 74
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 21.5
- tree cover
- 15.0%
- trees in this area
- 47.1K
- more trees needed
- 47.1K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Pretoria Central, Pretoria, 0001, 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.
Pretoria · AQI 74 (Moderate)
Pretoria's tree count comes to 47,077 trees across 12.56 km² of land, 15 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 47,077 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Pretoria today: AQI 74, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 19:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · PTA-NORTH, 7.7 km away
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
21.5
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient
- 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 Pretoria's daily AQI at 55 on average, from 39 on Nov 9 to an hourly peak of 100 on Nov 4.
Where Pretoria stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Pretoria: Critically low
15.0% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.56 km² of land.
Trees in this area
47,077
Target trees
94,154
More trees needed
47,077
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,036 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Pretoria lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Pretoria has lost about 32 hectares of forest (about 44 football pitches): 31% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (86%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 32 haabout 44 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 31%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 27 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2002, when about 14 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2002 | 14 ha | under 1 ha | 14 ha |
| 2003 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2004 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2005 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2006 | 3 ha | 2 ha | 5 ha |
| 2007 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 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 | under 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 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 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 Pretoria?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good56% · 18 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good29% · 9 ha
- Loggingcan grow back11% · 4 ha
Also: mining and energy, 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
- 6,290 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 6,440 ha
- Overall change
- +146 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Pretoria grew from about 6,290 hectares to 6,440 hectares, a net gain of about 146 hectares (+2.3%). New forest grew on about 251 hectares, while 104 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 Pretoria
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Centurion12.7 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 21%
- Air quality
- 58
- Thembisa28.2 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 2%
- Air quality
- 58
- Soshanguve31.5 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 3%
- Air quality
- 205
- Hammanskraal38.7 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 6%
- Air quality
- 76
- Brits42.6 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 44
- Randburg43.1 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 37%
- Air quality
- 44
Also compared:Pretoria vs JohannesburgPretoria vs Cape TownPretoria vs DurbanPretoria vs Gqeberha
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Frequently asked
Questions about Pretoria
What is the air quality (AQI) in Pretoria right now?
The latest reading for Pretoria shows an AQI of 74 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 19:00 local time by the PTA-NORTH ground monitoring station, 7.7 km away, via OpenAQ. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Pretoria today?
At AQI 74 (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 Pretoria been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Pretoria's daily AQI at 55 on average, from 39 on Nov 9 to an hourly peak of 100 on Nov 4. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Pretoria lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Pretoria has lost about 32 hectares of forest (about 44 football pitches): 31% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (86%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Pretoria grew from about 6,290 hectares to 6,440 hectares, a net gain of about 146 hectares (+2.3%). New forest grew on about 251 hectares, while 104 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Pretoria?
Pretoria has an estimated 47,077 trees across the 12.56 km² of land measured — 15.0% tree cover, 15 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Pretoria need?
Pretoria needs roughly 47,077 more trees to close a 15-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,036 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Pretoria's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Pretoria 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 Pretoria Central; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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