City report · England, United Kingdom
Reading Air quality today
Air quality in Reading currently reads AQI 86 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 86
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 28.0
- tree cover
- 28.2%
- trees in this area
- 87.1K
- more trees needed
- 5.6K
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Reading, UK (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Aug 25, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Reading · AQI 86 (Moderate)
Reading's tree count comes to 87,087 trees across 4.8 sq mi (12.36 km²) of land, 2 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 5,559 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Reading today: AQI 86, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 15:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · RUAO, University of Reading, 1.7 mi (2.8 km) away · median of 2 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
28.0
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, Department of Meteorology, University of Reading, Marco
- 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 Reading's daily AQI at 75 on average, from 41 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 111 on Nov 6.
This is the US EPA AQI. How it differs from the UK's Daily Air Quality Index
Where Reading stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Reading: Below target
28.2% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.8 sq mi (12.36 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
87,087
Target trees
92,646
More trees needed
5,559
CO₂ if planted / yr
122.3 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Reading lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Reading has lost about 62 hectares of forest (about 86 football pitches): 1.2% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 5 hectares (7.6%) 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
- 62 haabout 86 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 1.2%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 5 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2006, when about 12 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 | 2 ha | 2 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 | 5 ha | 5 ha |
| 2005 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | 12 ha | 12 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | 8 ha | 8 ha |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | 6 ha | 7 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | 4 ha | 4 ha |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 2 ha |
| 2014 | 1 ha | 5 ha | 6 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 | 3 ha | 4 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 2 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 | 3 ha | 3 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 Reading?
- Loggingcan grow back70% · 43 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good5% · 3 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good3.1% · 2 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
- 10,300 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 10,800 ha
- Overall change
- +545 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Reading grew from about 10,300 hectares to 10,800 hectares, a net gain of about 545 hectares (+5.3%). New forest grew on about 604 hectares, while 59 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 Reading
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Basingstoke23.0 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 33%
- Air quality
- 57
- High Wycombe24.6 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 41%
- Air quality
- 86
- Slough26.7 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 21%
- Air quality
- 62
- Woking32.4 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 54%
- Air quality
- 104
- Oxford38.3 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 39%
- Air quality
- 62
- Watford45.5 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 61
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Frequently asked
Questions about Reading
What is the air quality (AQI) in Reading right now?
The latest reading for Reading shows an AQI of 86 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 15:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is RUAO, University of Reading, 1.7 mi (2.8 km) away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Reading today?
At AQI 86 (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 Reading been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Reading's daily AQI at 75 on average, from 41 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 111 on Nov 6. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Is Reading'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 Reading lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Reading has lost about 62 hectares of forest (about 86 football pitches): 1.2% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 5 hectares (7.6%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Reading grew from about 10,300 hectares to 10,800 hectares, a net gain of about 545 hectares (+5.3%). New forest grew on about 604 hectares, while 59 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Reading?
Reading has an estimated 87,087 trees across the 4.8 sq mi (12.36 km²) of land measured — 28.2% tree cover, 2 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Reading need?
Reading needs roughly 5,559 more trees to close a 2-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 122.3 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Reading's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Reading, 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 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Reading; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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