City report · South Holland, The Netherlands
Rotterdam Air quality today
Air quality in Rotterdam currently reads AQI 74 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 74
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 21.4
- tree cover
- 25.9%
- trees in this area
- 72.3K
- more trees needed
- 11.4K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Stadsdriehoek, Rotterdam, Netherlands (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Aug 12, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Rotterdam · AQI 74 (Moderate)
Rotterdam's tree count comes to 72,254 trees across 11.16 km² of land, 4 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 11,438 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Rotterdam today: AQI 74, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 16:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Rotterdam-Schiedamsevest, 900 m away · median of 8 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
21.4
PM10
28.1
NO₂
18.3
O₃
20.0
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · EEA, Netherlands, RIVM · Luchtmeetnet
- 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 Rotterdam's daily AQI at 72 on average, from 46 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 97 on Nov 7.
Where Rotterdam stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Rotterdam: Below target
25.9% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 11.16 km² of land.
Trees in this area
72,254
Target trees
83,692
More trees needed
11,438
CO₂ if planted / yr
251.6 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Rotterdam lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Rotterdam has lost about 133 hectares of forest (about 190 football pitches): 3.2% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (82%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from August 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 4 km north of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 133 haabout 190 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 3.2%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 108 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2019, when about 28 hectares of forest were lost.
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 1 ha | 2 ha | 3 ha |
| 2002 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2003 | 6 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2005 | 6 ha | 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2006 | 5 ha | 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2007 | 1 ha | 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2008 | 8 ha | 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2009 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2010 | 3 ha | 2 ha | 5 ha |
| 2011 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2012 | 9 ha | under 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | 3 ha | 3 ha |
| 2016 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2017 | 3 ha | 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2018 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2019 | 24 ha | 4 ha | 28 ha |
| 2020 | 14 ha | under 1 ha | 15 ha |
| 2021 | 7 ha | 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2022 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2023 | 2 ha | 2 ha | 3 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Rotterdam?
- Towns and roadscleared for good82% · 108 ha
- Loggingcan grow back6.5% · 9 ha
- Unknown causescause unknown12% · 16 ha
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
- 4,880 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 5,420 ha
- Overall change
- +547 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Rotterdam grew from about 4,880 hectares to 5,420 hectares, a net gain of about 547 hectares (+11%). New forest grew on about 811 hectares, while 264 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 Rotterdam
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Zoetermeer15.0 km
The Netherlands
- Tree cover
- 32%
- Air quality
- 103
- Dordrecht18.3 km
The Netherlands
- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 75
- The Hague21.1 km
The Netherlands
- Tree cover
- 22%
- Air quality
- 71
- Leiden26.2 km
The Netherlands
- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 121
- Breda42.6 km
The Netherlands
- Tree cover
- 25%
- Air quality
- 76
- Hoofddorp44.6 km
The Netherlands
- Tree cover
- 23%
- Air quality
- 66
Also compared:Rotterdam vs AmsterdamRotterdam vs UtrechtRotterdam vs GroningenRotterdam vs Eindhoven
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Frequently asked
Questions about Rotterdam
What is the air quality (AQI) in Rotterdam right now?
The latest reading for Rotterdam shows an AQI of 74 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 16:00 local time by 8 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Rotterdam-Schiedamsevest, 900 m away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Rotterdam today?
At AQI 74 (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 Rotterdam been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Rotterdam's daily AQI at 72 on average, from 46 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 97 on Nov 7. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Rotterdam lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Rotterdam has lost about 133 hectares of forest (about 190 football pitches): 3.2% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (82%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Rotterdam grew from about 4,880 hectares to 5,420 hectares, a net gain of about 547 hectares (+11%). New forest grew on about 811 hectares, while 264 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Rotterdam?
Rotterdam has an estimated 72,254 trees across the 11.16 km² of land measured — 25.9% tree cover, 4 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Rotterdam need?
Rotterdam needs roughly 11,438 more trees to close a 4-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 251.6 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Rotterdam's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Stadsdriehoek, 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 Stadsdriehoek; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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