Kenya · Nairobi County · 2 cities
Air quality in Nairobi County today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now, Thika has the cleanest air of the 2 cities we track in Nairobi County (AQI 75, Moderate), and Nairobi the worst (AQI 96, Moderate). Nairobi has the most tree cover, at 26.2% — #12 of 23 cities measured in Kenya.
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
- 25.7%
- Kenya: 29.0%
- worst air now: Nairobi
- 96
- cleanest air now: Thika
- 75
Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf, refreshed hourly.
Nairobi County
Air quality today across Nairobi County, city by city
| Nairobi | 96Moderate | 26.2% | 11.9K | #12 of 23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thika | 75Moderate | 25.2% | 15.0K | #13 of 23 |
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 Kenya.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Nairobi County lost?
Since 2001, Nairobi County has lost about 484 hectares of forest (about 680 football pitches): 10% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (75%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 484 haabout 680 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 10%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 364 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 | 115 ha | 13 ha | 128 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2003 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2004 | 7 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2005 | 9 ha | 1 ha | 10 ha |
| 2006 | 9 ha | 1 ha | 11 ha |
| 2007 | 21 ha | 2 ha | 23 ha |
| 2008 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2009 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2010 | 24 ha | 5 ha | 28 ha |
| 2011 | 16 ha | 7 ha | 23 ha |
| 2012 | 16 ha | 4 ha | 21 ha |
| 2013 | 5 ha | 12 ha | 17 ha |
| 2014 | 12 ha | 9 ha | 20 ha |
| 2015 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2016 | 15 ha | 38 ha | 53 ha |
| 2017 | 17 ha | 8 ha | 25 ha |
| 2018 | 6 ha | 7 ha | 13 ha |
| 2019 | 18 ha | 4 ha | 22 ha |
| 2020 | 11 ha | under 1 ha | 11 ha |
| 2021 | 7 ha | under 1 ha | 7 ha |
| 2022 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2023 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2024 | 12 ha | 4 ha | 16 ha |
| 2025 | 17 ha | 2 ha | 20 ha |
The worst year was 2001, when about 128 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in Nairobi County?
- Towns and roadscleared for good62% · 299 ha
- Loggingcan grow back22% · 106 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good14% · 66 ha
Also: 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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