Nigeria · Akwa Ibom State · 3 cities
Air quality in Akwa Ibom State today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now, Esuk Oron has the cleanest air of the 3 cities we track in Akwa Ibom State (AQI 54, Moderate), and Ikot Ekpene the worst (AQI 110, Unhealthy for sensitive groups). Esuk Oron has the most tree cover, at 42.6% — #8 of 94 cities measured in Nigeria.
Every city is measured the same way, over the same 2 km around its center: the air quality right now, from ground stations where there are any, and its tree cover.
AQI 82
Average right now
Moderate
- cities tracked
- 3
- average tree cover
- 32.5%
- Nigeria: 19.4%
- worst air now: Ikot Ekpene
- 110
- cleanest air now: Esuk Oron
- 54
Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf, refreshed hourly.
Akwa Ibom State · average AQI 82
Air quality today across Akwa Ibom State, city by city
| Uyo | 82Moderate | 34.8% | — | #12 of 94 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ikot Ekpene | 110Unhealthy for sensitive groups | 20.0% | 47.1K | #26 of 94 |
| Esuk Oron | 54Moderate | 42.6% | — | #8 of 94 |
Air quality is the US AQI from ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ where available, otherwise the Open-Meteo / CAMS model, refreshed hourly. Tree cover is measured within 2 km of each city center from Sentinel-2 imagery; the rank compares every city measured in Nigeria.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Akwa Ibom State lost?
Since 2001, Akwa Ibom State has lost about 10,800 hectares of forest (about 15,000 football pitches): 9.3% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (92%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 10,800 haabout 15,000 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 9.3%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 9,910 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 1,880 ha | 159 ha | 2,040 ha |
| 2002 | 135 ha | 5 ha | 140 ha |
| 2003 | 407 ha | 16 ha | 423 ha |
| 2004 | 88 ha | 9 ha | 97 ha |
| 2005 | 100 ha | 14 ha | 114 ha |
| 2006 | 141 ha | 8 ha | 149 ha |
| 2007 | 202 ha | 13 ha | 215 ha |
| 2008 | 200 ha | 11 ha | 211 ha |
| 2009 | 369 ha | 40 ha | 409 ha |
| 2010 | 347 ha | 22 ha | 369 ha |
| 2011 | 368 ha | 23 ha | 391 ha |
| 2012 | 116 ha | 9 ha | 125 ha |
| 2013 | 226 ha | 21 ha | 247 ha |
| 2014 | 408 ha | 44 ha | 452 ha |
| 2015 | 300 ha | 47 ha | 347 ha |
| 2016 | 136 ha | 12 ha | 148 ha |
| 2017 | 834 ha | 91 ha | 925 ha |
| 2018 | 543 ha | 36 ha | 579 ha |
| 2019 | 576 ha | 50 ha | 626 ha |
| 2020 | 337 ha | 41 ha | 378 ha |
| 2021 | 435 ha | 46 ha | 481 ha |
| 2022 | 586 ha | 50 ha | 636 ha |
| 2023 | 452 ha | 20 ha | 472 ha |
| 2024 | 393 ha | 14 ha | 407 ha |
| 2025 | 323 ha | 48 ha | 371 ha |
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 473 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 531 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2001, when about 2,040 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in Akwa Ibom State?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good82% · 8,800 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good7.6% · 822 ha
- Shifting farmingcan grow back5.5% · 594 ha
Also: mining and energy, logging, storms, floods and other natural causes, unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
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. How it's measured
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