City report · Zambia
Solwezi Air quality today
Air quality in Solwezi currently reads AQI 59 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 59
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 16.0
- tree cover
- 9.5%
- trees in this area
- 29.8K
- more trees needed
- 64.4K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Solwezi, Zambia (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 18, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Solwezi · AQI 59 (Moderate)
Solwezi's tree count comes to 29,845 trees across 12.57 km², 21 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 64,403 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Solwezi today: AQI 59, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 09:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Model estimate · no ground station nearby
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
16.0
PM10
18.5
NO₂
0.9
O₃
75.0
SO₂
2.7
CO
182.0
- 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 Solwezi's daily AQI at 57 on average, from 31 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 88 on Nov 6.
Where Solwezi stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Solwezi: Critically low
9.5% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
29,845
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
64,403
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,417 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Solwezi lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Solwezi has lost about 3,480 hectares of forest (about 4,900 football pitches): 19% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (96%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km northeast of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 3,480 haabout 4,900 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 19%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 3,340 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 159 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 145 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2024, when about 416 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 | 40 ha | under 1 ha | 40 ha |
| 2002 | 19 ha | under 1 ha | 20 ha |
| 2003 | 69 ha | 5 ha | 74 ha |
| 2004 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2005 | 298 ha | 3 ha | 301 ha |
| 2006 | 73 ha | 1 ha | 74 ha |
| 2007 | 107 ha | 9 ha | 116 ha |
| 2008 | 45 ha | 5 ha | 50 ha |
| 2009 | 275 ha | 5 ha | 280 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2011 | 223 ha | 6 ha | 229 ha |
| 2012 | 255 ha | 8 ha | 263 ha |
| 2013 | 166 ha | 1 ha | 167 ha |
| 2014 | 205 ha | 5 ha | 210 ha |
| 2015 | 125 ha | 6 ha | 131 ha |
| 2016 | 157 ha | 3 ha | 160 ha |
| 2017 | 174 ha | 11 ha | 185 ha |
| 2018 | 145 ha | 19 ha | 164 ha |
| 2019 | 80 ha | 17 ha | 97 ha |
| 2020 | 107 ha | 14 ha | 121 ha |
| 2021 | 123 ha | 7 ha | 130 ha |
| 2022 | 46 ha | 5 ha | 51 ha |
| 2023 | 96 ha | 2 ha | 98 ha |
| 2024 | 411 ha | 5 ha | 416 ha |
| 2025 | 95 ha | 5 ha | 100 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Solwezi?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good39% · 1,340 ha
- Mining and energycleared for good37% · 1,290 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good20% · 704 ha
Also: shifting farming, storms, floods and other natural causes, 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
- 13,200 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 7,350 ha
- Overall change
- −5,870 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Solwezi shrank from about 13,200 hectares to 7,350 hectares, a net loss of about 5,870 hectares (−44%). New forest grew on about 651 hectares, but 6,520 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 Solwezi
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Kipushi104.1 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 3%
- Air quality
- 53
- Lubumbashi131.4 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 12%
- Air quality
- 63
- Likasi137.2 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 11%
- Air quality
- 56
- Chililabombwe157.3 km
Zambia
- Tree cover
- 9%
- Air quality
- 52
- Chingola167.2 km
Zambia
- Tree cover
- 17%
- Air quality
- 52
- Kolwezi190.4 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 6%
- Air quality
- 55
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Frequently asked
Questions about Solwezi
What is the air quality (AQI) in Solwezi right now?
The latest reading for Solwezi shows an AQI of 59 (Moderate), observed Nov 11, 09:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Solwezi today?
At AQI 59 (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 Solwezi been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Solwezi's daily AQI at 57 on average, from 31 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 88 on Nov 6. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Solwezi lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Solwezi has lost about 3,480 hectares of forest (about 4,900 football pitches): 19% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (96%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations. Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 159 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 145 hectares a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Solwezi shrank from about 13,200 hectares to 7,350 hectares, a net loss of about 5,870 hectares (−44%). New forest grew on about 651 hectares, but 6,520 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Solwezi?
Solwezi has an estimated 29,845 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 9.5% tree cover, 21 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Solwezi need?
Solwezi needs roughly 64,403 more trees to close a 21-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,417 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Solwezi's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality comes from ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ where one reports nearby, and otherwise, as here, from the Open-Meteo / CAMS model, which may differ from street-level monitors. 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 Solwezi; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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