Nigeria · Kaduna State · 3 cities
Air quality in Kaduna State today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now, Saminaka has the cleanest air of the 3 cities we track in Kaduna State (AQI 103, Unhealthy for sensitive groups), and Zaria the worst (AQI 172, Unhealthy). Kaduna has the most tree cover, at 15.5% — #38 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.
Average right now
AQI 129
Unhealthy for sensitive groups
- cities tracked
- 3
- average tree cover
- 10.5%
- Nigeria: 19.4%
- worst air now: Zaria
- 172
- cleanest air now: Saminaka
- 103
Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf, refreshed hourly.
Kaduna State · average AQI 129
Air quality today across Kaduna State, city by city
| Kaduna | 112Unhealthy for sensitive groups | 15.5% | 61.3K | #38 of 94 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zaria | 172Unhealthy | 13.8% | 82.3K | #43 of 94 |
| Saminaka | 103Unhealthy for sensitive groups | 2.3% | 103K | #86 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 Kaduna State lost?
Since 2001, Kaduna State has lost about 715 hectares of forest (about 1,000 football pitches): 13% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (94%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 715 haabout 1,000 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 13%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 671 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 | 27 ha | 5 ha | 32 ha |
| 2002 | 16 ha | 1 ha | 17 ha |
| 2003 | 7 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2004 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2005 | 29 ha | 1 ha | 31 ha |
| 2006 | 14 ha | under 1 ha | 14 ha |
| 2007 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2008 | 40 ha | 3 ha | 43 ha |
| 2009 | 22 ha | under 1 ha | 23 ha |
| 2010 | 6 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2011 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2012 | 40 ha | 1 ha | 41 ha |
| 2013 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2014 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2015 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2016 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2017 | 24 ha | 2 ha | 26 ha |
| 2018 | 16 ha | 4 ha | 20 ha |
| 2019 | 23 ha | 3 ha | 26 ha |
| 2020 | 12 ha | 1 ha | 13 ha |
| 2021 | 20 ha | 5 ha | 25 ha |
| 2022 | 61 ha | 2 ha | 63 ha |
| 2023 | 62 ha | under 1 ha | 63 ha |
| 2024 | 83 ha | 7 ha | 90 ha |
| 2025 | 140 ha | 3 ha | 143 ha |
Forest loss is speeding up: about 77 hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 18 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2025, when about 143 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in Kaduna State?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good94% · 671 ha
- Shifting farmingcan grow back4.5% · 32 ha
- Unknown causescause unknown1.5% · 10 ha
Also: wildfires.
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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