South Africa · KwaZulu-Natal · 10 cities
Air quality in KwaZulu-Natal today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now, Vryheid has the cleanest air of the 10 cities we track in KwaZulu-Natal (AQI 24, Good), and Mpumalanga the worst (AQI 107, Unhealthy for sensitive groups). Pinetown has the most tree cover, at 60.7% — #1 of 66 cities measured in South Africa.
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 60
Average right now
Moderate
- cities tracked
- 10
- average tree cover
- 32.0%
- South Africa: 21.8%
- worst air now: Mpumalanga
- 107
- cleanest air now: Vryheid
- 24
Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf, refreshed hourly.
KwaZulu-Natal · average AQI 60
Air quality today across KwaZulu-Natal, city by city
| Durban | 87Moderate | 8.0% | 41.5K | #55 of 66 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pietermaritzburg | 69Moderate | 35.6% | — | #10 of 66 |
| Newcastle | 39Good | 13.0% | 53.4K | #50 of 66 |
| Richards Bay | 29Good | 40.5% | — | #6 of 66 |
| KwaDukuza | 29Good | 44.1% | — | #3 of 66 |
| Vryheid | 24Good | 33.3% | — | #12 of 66 |
| Pinetown | 87Moderate | 60.7% | — | #1 of 66 |
| Ladysmith | 37Good | 29.2% | 2.5K | #22 of 66 |
| Mpumalanga | 107Unhealthy for sensitive groups | 24.0% | 34.6K | #28 of 66 |
| Ntuzuma | 87Moderate | 31.2% | — | #17 of 66 |
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 South Africa.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has KwaZulu-Natal lost?
Since 2001, KwaZulu-Natal has lost about 641,000 hectares of forest (about 6,400 km²): 29% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 56,900 hectares (8.9%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 641,000 haabout 6,400 km²
- Share of its forest
- 29%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 56,900 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 | 1,800 ha | 32,000 ha | 33,800 ha |
| 2002 | 1,290 ha | 17,000 ha | 18,200 ha |
| 2003 | 2,590 ha | 40,500 ha | 43,100 ha |
| 2004 | 3,820 ha | 26,100 ha | 30,000 ha |
| 2005 | 2,150 ha | 50,500 ha | 52,600 ha |
| 2006 | 3,710 ha | 43,300 ha | 47,000 ha |
| 2007 | 3,170 ha | 18,100 ha | 21,300 ha |
| 2008 | 2,340 ha | 25,100 ha | 27,400 ha |
| 2009 | 2,110 ha | 28,800 ha | 30,900 ha |
| 2010 | 1,620 ha | 20,400 ha | 22,000 ha |
| 2011 | 2,370 ha | 29,800 ha | 32,100 ha |
| 2012 | 2,230 ha | 37,500 ha | 39,700 ha |
| 2013 | 1,930 ha | 15,700 ha | 17,700 ha |
| 2014 | 3,360 ha | 23,100 ha | 26,500 ha |
| 2015 | 2,740 ha | 21,000 ha | 23,700 ha |
| 2016 | 3,480 ha | 26,100 ha | 29,600 ha |
| 2017 | 3,980 ha | 28,000 ha | 32,000 ha |
| 2018 | 2,340 ha | 19,800 ha | 22,100 ha |
| 2019 | 1,560 ha | 18,700 ha | 20,200 ha |
| 2020 | 1,930 ha | 15,900 ha | 17,900 ha |
| 2021 | 1,570 ha | 13,800 ha | 15,300 ha |
| 2022 | 1,260 ha | 11,100 ha | 12,400 ha |
| 2023 | 1,010 ha | 7,750 ha | 8,770 ha |
| 2024 | 1,260 ha | 7,580 ha | 8,840 ha |
| 2025 | 1,300 ha | 6,410 ha | 7,710 ha |
Forest loss is slowing down: about 10,600 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 24,300 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2005, when about 52,600 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in KwaZulu-Natal?
- Loggingcan grow back90% · 576,000 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good7.5% · 48,400 ha
Also: towns and roads, wildfires, mining and energy, storms, floods and other natural causes, shifting farming, 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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