South Africa · Western Cape · 5 cities
Air quality in Western Cape today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now, Paarl has the cleanest air of the 5 cities we track in Western Cape (AQI 31, Good), and Cape Town the worst (AQI 61, Moderate). George has the most tree cover, at 31.6% — #16 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 41
Average right now
Good
- cities tracked
- 5
- average tree cover
- 19.0%
- South Africa: 21.8%
- worst air now: Cape Town
- 61
- cleanest air now: Paarl
- 31
Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf, refreshed hourly.
Western Cape · average AQI 41
Air quality today across Western Cape, city by city
| Cape Town | 61Moderate | 15.2% | 43.1K | #44 of 66 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paarl | 31Good | 21.0% | 28.2K | #37 of 66 |
| Somerset West | 44Good | 17.3% | 39.7K | #41 of 66 |
| George | 34Good | 31.6% | — | #16 of 66 |
| Worcester | 36Good | 9.7% | 62.8K | #52 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 Western Cape lost?
Since 2001, Western Cape has lost about 228,000 hectares of forest (about 2,300 km²): 30% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to wildfires, so much of it can grow back. About 32,500 hectares (14%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 228,000 haabout 2,300 km²
- Share of its forest
- 30%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 32,500 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 | 964 ha | 3,610 ha | 4,580 ha |
| 2002 | 1,490 ha | 4,140 ha | 5,630 ha |
| 2003 | 987 ha | 4,000 ha | 4,990 ha |
| 2004 | 2,990 ha | 3,850 ha | 6,840 ha |
| 2005 | 1,610 ha | 4,680 ha | 6,280 ha |
| 2006 | 2,050 ha | 8,950 ha | 11,000 ha |
| 2007 | 1,380 ha | 4,160 ha | 5,540 ha |
| 2008 | 1,340 ha | 4,640 ha | 5,980 ha |
| 2009 | 909 ha | 5,820 ha | 6,730 ha |
| 2010 | 1,100 ha | 7,320 ha | 8,420 ha |
| 2011 | 904 ha | 4,180 ha | 5,080 ha |
| 2012 | 936 ha | 4,300 ha | 5,240 ha |
| 2013 | 1,390 ha | 7,720 ha | 9,110 ha |
| 2014 | 1,450 ha | 6,560 ha | 8,010 ha |
| 2015 | 1,270 ha | 16,100 ha | 17,400 ha |
| 2016 | 1,340 ha | 9,310 ha | 10,600 ha |
| 2017 | 1,780 ha | 21,100 ha | 22,900 ha |
| 2018 | 1,130 ha | 11,000 ha | 12,200 ha |
| 2019 | 881 ha | 17,900 ha | 18,800 ha |
| 2020 | 1,010 ha | 10,300 ha | 11,300 ha |
| 2021 | 1,100 ha | 7,290 ha | 8,390 ha |
| 2022 | 1,060 ha | 7,890 ha | 8,950 ha |
| 2023 | 1,280 ha | 4,540 ha | 5,820 ha |
| 2024 | 781 ha | 10,600 ha | 11,300 ha |
| 2025 | 1,340 ha | 5,360 ha | 6,700 ha |
Forest loss is slowing down: about 8,240 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 15,200 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2017, when about 22,900 hectares of forest were lost, mostly to wildfires.
What is causing deforestation in Western Cape?
- Wildfirescan grow back64% · 146,000 ha
- Loggingcan grow back21% · 47,600 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good13% · 28,600 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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