City report · Latvia
Riga Air quality today
Air quality in Riga currently reads AQI 81 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 81
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 25.0
- tree cover
- 27.8%
- trees in this area
- 66.7K
- more trees needed
- 5.3K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Vecrīga, Central District, Riga, LV-1050, Latvia (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Aug 26, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Riga · AQI 81 (Moderate)
Riga's tree count comes to 66,725 trees across 9.6 km² of land, 2 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 5,280 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Riga today: AQI 81, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 18:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Riga Kronvalda boulevard, 1 km away · median of 2 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
25.0
PM10
45.0
NO₂
29.3
O₃
16.1
SO₂
2.8
CO
218.0
Data: OpenAQ · EEA
- Outdoor exercise
- Fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier
- Windows
- Fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution
- Mask
- Not needed for most people
- Air purifier
- Worth running if you are sensitive
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Riga's daily AQI at 45 on average, from 23 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 85 on Nov 10.
Where Riga stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Riga: Below target
27.8% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 9.6 km² of land.
Trees in this area
66,725
Target trees
72,005
More trees needed
5,280
CO₂ if planted / yr
116.2 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Riga lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Riga has lost about 1,030 hectares of forest (about 1,400 football pitches): 11% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 280 hectares (27%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km east of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1,030 haabout 1,400 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 11%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 280 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss is slowing down: about 47 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 103 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2020, when about 166 hectares of forest were lost.
Riga's full deforestation reportHectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | under 1 ha | 13 ha | 13 ha |
| 2002 | 2 ha | 4 ha | 6 ha |
| 2003 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2004 | 3 ha | 12 ha | 15 ha |
| 2005 | 1 ha | 4 ha | 5 ha |
| 2006 | 9 ha | 15 ha | 23 ha |
| 2007 | 11 ha | 15 ha | 26 ha |
| 2008 | 9 ha | 13 ha | 22 ha |
| 2009 | 24 ha | 16 ha | 39 ha |
| 2010 | 14 ha | 18 ha | 32 ha |
| 2011 | 7 ha | 11 ha | 18 ha |
| 2012 | 7 ha | 14 ha | 20 ha |
| 2013 | 5 ha | 15 ha | 20 ha |
| 2014 | 6 ha | 19 ha | 25 ha |
| 2015 | 12 ha | 10 ha | 21 ha |
| 2016 | 13 ha | 37 ha | 50 ha |
| 2017 | 23 ha | 65 ha | 87 ha |
| 2018 | 11 ha | 114 ha | 124 ha |
| 2019 | 14 ha | 71 ha | 85 ha |
| 2020 | 30 ha | 136 ha | 166 ha |
| 2021 | 13 ha | 6 ha | 19 ha |
| 2022 | 28 ha | 49 ha | 77 ha |
| 2023 | 10 ha | 15 ha | 26 ha |
| 2024 | 12 ha | 22 ha | 34 ha |
| 2025 | 19 ha | 60 ha | 79 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Riga?
- Loggingcan grow back70% · 723 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good25% · 259 ha
- Mining and energycleared for good1.2% · 12 ha
Also: farms, pasture and plantations, wildfires, unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 8,370 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 9,330 ha
- Overall change
- +958 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Riga grew from about 8,370 hectares to 9,330 hectares, a net gain of about 958 hectares (+11%). New forest grew on about 1,350 hectares, while 393 hectares were lost.
These 2000 and 2020 maps, from the University of Maryland, count any land with trees taller than 5 m as forest, including plantations and orchards. Forest that was cut or burned and had grown back by 2020 counts in both years, so the loss here is smaller than the yearly figures.
These figures cover everything within 10 km of the city center, a wider area than the report above, because forest is usually lost at a city's edges.
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. Forest gained and lost 2000–2020: Potapov et al. 2022, UMD GLAD Global Land Cover and Land Use Change, CC BY 4.0. Images: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data. How it's measured
In the same region
Measured cities near Riga
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Šiauliai122.6 km
Lithuania
- Tree cover
- 39%
- Air quality
- 57
- Panevėžys135.9 km
Lithuania
- Tree cover
- 25%
- Air quality
- 61
- Ventspils161.3 km
Latvia
- Tree cover
- 31%
- Air quality
- 28
- Pärnu161.8 km
Estonia
- Tree cover
- 39%
- Air quality
- 97
Also compared:Riga vs Liepāja
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Frequently asked
Questions about Riga
What is the air quality (AQI) in Riga right now?
The latest reading for Riga shows an AQI of 81 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 18:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Riga Kronvalda boulevard, 1 km away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Riga today?
At AQI 81 (Moderate): fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier. Windows: fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution. Masks: not needed for most people. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.
What has the air quality in Riga been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Riga's daily AQI at 45 on average, from 23 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 85 on Nov 10. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Riga lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Riga has lost about 1,030 hectares of forest (about 1,400 football pitches): 11% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 280 hectares (27%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Forest loss is slowing down: about 47 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 103 hectares a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Riga grew from about 8,370 hectares to 9,330 hectares, a net gain of about 958 hectares (+11%). New forest grew on about 1,350 hectares, while 393 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Riga?
Riga has an estimated 66,725 trees across the 9.6 km² of land measured — 27.8% tree cover, 2 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Riga need?
Riga needs roughly 5,280 more trees to close a 2-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 116.2 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Riga's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Vecrīga, via OpenAQ; the 7-day trend is the Open-Meteo / CAMS model's estimate. Tree cover is measured from Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search satellite imagery at 10 m detail across a 2 km radius around Vecrīga; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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