Nigeria · Imo State · 2 cities
Air quality in Imo State today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now, Okigwe has the cleanest air of the 2 cities we track in Imo State (AQI 107, Unhealthy for sensitive groups), and Owerri the worst (AQI 350, Hazardous). Okigwe has the most tree cover, at 59.6% — #3 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.
- cities tracked
- 2
- average tree cover
- 33.3%
- Nigeria: 19.4%
- worst air now: Owerri
- 350
- cleanest air now: Okigwe
- 107
Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf, refreshed hourly.
Imo State
Air quality today across Imo State, city by city
| Owerri | 350Hazardous | 7.0% | 119K | #69 of 94 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Okigwe | 107Unhealthy for sensitive groups | 59.6% | — | #3 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 Imo State lost?
Since 2001, Imo State has lost about 16,000 hectares of forest (about 22,000 football pitches): 16% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (96%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 16,000 haabout 22,000 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 16%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 15,300 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 | 2,790 ha | 168 ha | 2,960 ha |
| 2002 | 1,330 ha | 109 ha | 1,440 ha |
| 2003 | 367 ha | 17 ha | 384 ha |
| 2004 | 98 ha | 20 ha | 118 ha |
| 2005 | 118 ha | 3 ha | 121 ha |
| 2006 | 460 ha | 10 ha | 470 ha |
| 2007 | 431 ha | 14 ha | 445 ha |
| 2008 | 409 ha | 12 ha | 421 ha |
| 2009 | 1,140 ha | 33 ha | 1,170 ha |
| 2010 | 820 ha | 11 ha | 831 ha |
| 2011 | 447 ha | 25 ha | 472 ha |
| 2012 | 386 ha | 16 ha | 402 ha |
| 2013 | 626 ha | 25 ha | 651 ha |
| 2014 | 925 ha | 36 ha | 961 ha |
| 2015 | 298 ha | 12 ha | 310 ha |
| 2016 | 377 ha | 21 ha | 398 ha |
| 2017 | 932 ha | 32 ha | 964 ha |
| 2018 | 612 ha | 29 ha | 641 ha |
| 2019 | 430 ha | 17 ha | 447 ha |
| 2020 | 399 ha | 18 ha | 417 ha |
| 2021 | 366 ha | 10 ha | 376 ha |
| 2022 | 252 ha | 13 ha | 265 ha |
| 2023 | 459 ha | 4 ha | 463 ha |
| 2024 | 551 ha | 6 ha | 557 ha |
| 2025 | 284 ha | 18 ha | 302 ha |
Forest loss is slowing down: about 393 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 573 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2001, when about 2,960 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in Imo State?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good84% · 13,400 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good11% · 1,800 ha
- Shifting farmingcan grow back1.9% · 303 ha
Also: logging, mining and energy, 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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