Democratic Republic of the Congo · Kinshasa · 2 cities
Air quality in Kinshasa today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now, Masina has the cleanest air of the 2 cities we track in Kinshasa (AQI 120, Unhealthy for sensitive groups), and Kinshasa the worst (AQI 121, Unhealthy for sensitive groups). Masina has the most tree cover, at 20.8% — #17 of 35 cities measured in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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
- 10.9%
- Democratic Republic of the Congo: 28.4%
- worst air now: Kinshasa
- 121
- cleanest air now: Masina
- 120
Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf, refreshed hourly.
Kinshasa
Air quality today across Kinshasa, city by city
| Kinshasa | 121Unhealthy for sensitive groups | 1.0% | 106K | #35 of 35 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masina | 120Unhealthy for sensitive groups | 20.8% | 44.6K | #17 of 35 |
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 the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Kinshasa lost?
Since 2001, Kinshasa has lost about 81,800 hectares of forest (about 110,000 football pitches): 21% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to shifting farming, so much of it can grow back. About 17,000 hectares (21%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 81,800 haabout 110,000 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 21%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 17,000 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 | 1,980 ha | 2,930 ha | 4,910 ha |
| 2002 | 480 ha | 1,030 ha | 1,510 ha |
| 2003 | 533 ha | 915 ha | 1,450 ha |
| 2004 | 789 ha | 1,690 ha | 2,480 ha |
| 2005 | 383 ha | 644 ha | 1,030 ha |
| 2006 | 305 ha | 843 ha | 1,150 ha |
| 2007 | 1,310 ha | 3,230 ha | 4,540 ha |
| 2008 | 294 ha | 262 ha | 556 ha |
| 2009 | 617 ha | 856 ha | 1,470 ha |
| 2010 | 909 ha | 2,400 ha | 3,310 ha |
| 2011 | 240 ha | 547 ha | 787 ha |
| 2012 | 699 ha | 2,140 ha | 2,830 ha |
| 2013 | 711 ha | 2,780 ha | 3,490 ha |
| 2014 | 1,140 ha | 4,420 ha | 5,560 ha |
| 2015 | 693 ha | 3,640 ha | 4,340 ha |
| 2016 | 787 ha | 4,850 ha | 5,640 ha |
| 2017 | 923 ha | 6,730 ha | 7,660 ha |
| 2018 | 432 ha | 3,920 ha | 4,350 ha |
| 2019 | 366 ha | 3,050 ha | 3,410 ha |
| 2020 | 391 ha | 3,150 ha | 3,550 ha |
| 2021 | 649 ha | 4,180 ha | 4,830 ha |
| 2022 | 402 ha | 2,000 ha | 2,400 ha |
| 2023 | 851 ha | 3,130 ha | 3,980 ha |
| 2024 | 528 ha | 2,230 ha | 2,750 ha |
| 2025 | 619 ha | 3,260 ha | 3,880 ha |
Forest loss is slowing down: about 3,570 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 4,920 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2017, when about 7,660 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in Kinshasa?
- Shifting farmingcan grow back77% · 63,400 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good19% · 15,500 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good1.9% · 1,530 ha
Also: logging, storms, floods and other natural causes, wildfires, mining and energy, 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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