Australia · New South Wales · 4 cities
Air quality in New South Wales today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now, Sydney has the cleanest air of the 4 cities we track in New South Wales (AQI 23, Good), and Newcastle the worst (AQI 99, Moderate). Central Coast has the most tree cover, at 74.8% — #1 of 21 cities measured in Australia.
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 46
Average right now
Good
- cities tracked
- 4
- average tree cover
- 36.6%
- Australia: 26.4%
- worst air now: Newcastle
- 99
- cleanest air now: Sydney
- 23
Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf, refreshed hourly.
New South Wales · average AQI 46
Air quality today across New South Wales, city by city
| Sydney | 23Good | 28.3% | 3.8K | #8 of 21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newcastle | 99Moderate | 17.3% | 18.0K | #17 of 21 |
| Central Coast | 51Moderate | 74.8% | — | #1 of 21 |
| Wollongong | 11Good | 26.0% | 9.5K | #9 of 21 |
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 Australia.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has New South Wales lost?
Since 2001, New South Wales has lost about 3.13 million hectares of forest (about 31,000 km²): 25% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to wildfires, so much of it can grow back. About 106,000 hectares (3.4%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 3.13 million haabout 31,000 km²
- Share of its forest
- 25%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 106,000 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 | 2,410 ha | 7,540 ha | 9,950 ha |
| 2002 | 3,190 ha | 12,100 ha | 15,300 ha |
| 2003 | 6,440 ha | 40,300 ha | 46,700 ha |
| 2004 | 4,460 ha | 15,200 ha | 19,600 ha |
| 2005 | 4,660 ha | 16,600 ha | 21,300 ha |
| 2006 | 4,120 ha | 16,900 ha | 21,000 ha |
| 2007 | 5,200 ha | 106,000 ha | 111,000 ha |
| 2008 | 3,410 ha | 18,900 ha | 22,300 ha |
| 2009 | 3,440 ha | 19,900 ha | 23,300 ha |
| 2010 | 3,470 ha | 23,900 ha | 27,400 ha |
| 2011 | 2,630 ha | 14,500 ha | 17,200 ha |
| 2012 | 4,490 ha | 25,900 ha | 30,300 ha |
| 2013 | 3,430 ha | 77,800 ha | 81,200 ha |
| 2014 | 4,110 ha | 42,400 ha | 46,500 ha |
| 2015 | 4,180 ha | 39,800 ha | 43,900 ha |
| 2016 | 7,070 ha | 70,300 ha | 77,300 ha |
| 2017 | 5,760 ha | 53,800 ha | 59,600 ha |
| 2018 | 4,730 ha | 56,600 ha | 61,300 ha |
| 2019 | 8,340 ha | 914,000 ha | 922,000 ha |
| 2020 | 5,240 ha | 1.23 million ha | 1.23 million ha |
| 2021 | 3,240 ha | 92,400 ha | 95,600 ha |
| 2022 | 3,480 ha | 14,700 ha | 18,200 ha |
| 2023 | 3,100 ha | 43,700 ha | 46,800 ha |
| 2024 | 2,440 ha | 39,800 ha | 42,200 ha |
| 2025 | 3,340 ha | 32,200 ha | 35,500 ha |
Forest loss is slowing down: about 47,700 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 471,000 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2020, when about 1.23 million hectares of forest were lost, mostly to wildfires.
What is causing deforestation in New South Wales?
- Wildfirescan grow back84% · 2.64 million ha
- Loggingcan grow back11% · 358,000 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good2.3% · 73,500 ha
Also: towns and roads, 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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