United Kingdom · Wales · 3 cities
Air quality in Wales today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now, Swansea has the cleanest air of the 3 cities we track in Wales (AQI 39, Good), and Newport the worst (AQI 62, Moderate). Swansea has the most tree cover, at 25.7% — #44 of 92 cities measured in the United Kingdom.
Every city is measured the same way, over the same 1.2 mi (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 54
Moderate
- cities tracked
- 3
- average tree cover
- 22.0%
- United Kingdom: 26.6%
- worst air now: Newport
- 62
- cleanest air now: Swansea
- 39
Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous, and it reads differently from the UK's Daily Air Quality Index. Measured by Airleaf, refreshed hourly.
Wales · average AQI 54
Air quality today across Wales, city by city
| Cardiff | 62Moderate | 17.0% | 40.5K | #77 of 92 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swansea | 39Good | 25.7% | 10.5K | #44 of 92 |
| Newport | 62Moderate | 23.2% | 20.8K | #62 of 92 |
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 1.2 mi (2 km) of each city center from Sentinel-2 imagery; the rank compares every city measured in the United Kingdom.
Is this the same as the UK's Daily Air Quality Index?
No. Airleaf shows the US EPA Air Quality Index (AQI), the scale used by IQAir and most air-quality apps. The UK's Daily Air Quality Index (DAQI), published by Defra, runs from 1 to 10: 1–3 low, 4–6 moderate, 7–9 high and 10 very high. It is a different scale altogether, so a US AQI figure can't be read on it directly; both, though, are built from the same main pollutants, with fine particles (PM2.5) usually the one that decides the reading.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Wales lost?
Since 2001, Wales has lost about 65,600 hectares of forest (about 92,000 football pitches): 17% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 806 hectares (1.2%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 65,600 haabout 92,000 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 17%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 806 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 | 40 ha | 1,560 ha | 1,600 ha |
| 2002 | 54 ha | 3,230 ha | 3,280 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2004 | 49 ha | 4,390 ha | 4,440 ha |
| 2005 | 44 ha | 3,040 ha | 3,080 ha |
| 2006 | 293 ha | 4,140 ha | 4,430 ha |
| 2007 | 14 ha | 1,090 ha | 1,100 ha |
| 2008 | 10 ha | 1,650 ha | 1,660 ha |
| 2009 | 141 ha | 5,310 ha | 5,450 ha |
| 2010 | 41 ha | 2,930 ha | 2,970 ha |
| 2011 | 8 ha | 1,100 ha | 1,100 ha |
| 2012 | 25 ha | 1,850 ha | 1,880 ha |
| 2013 | 11 ha | 3,430 ha | 3,440 ha |
| 2014 | 11 ha | 2,930 ha | 2,940 ha |
| 2015 | 2 ha | 2,560 ha | 2,560 ha |
| 2016 | 18 ha | 2,890 ha | 2,900 ha |
| 2017 | 8 ha | 3,120 ha | 3,130 ha |
| 2018 | 8 ha | 2,270 ha | 2,280 ha |
| 2019 | 3 ha | 3,100 ha | 3,100 ha |
| 2020 | 2 ha | 1,880 ha | 1,890 ha |
| 2021 | 3 ha | 2,690 ha | 2,690 ha |
| 2022 | 1 ha | 2,050 ha | 2,050 ha |
| 2023 | 6 ha | 2,620 ha | 2,630 ha |
| 2024 | 2 ha | 2,040 ha | 2,040 ha |
| 2025 | 13 ha | 2,950 ha | 2,960 ha |
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 2,480 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 2,660 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2009, when about 5,450 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in Wales?
- Loggingcan grow back95% · 62,700 ha
- Wildfirescan grow back1.4% · 930 ha
- Unknown causescause unknown1.5% · 1,000 ha
Also: farms, pasture and plantations, storms, floods and other natural causes, mining and energy, towns and roads.
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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