City report · Tanzania
Sumbawanga Air quality today
Air quality in Sumbawanga currently reads AQI 61 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 61
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 15.1
- tree cover
- 14.7%
- trees in this area
- 46.2K
- more trees needed
- 48.1K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Sumbawanga, Tanzania (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 25, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Sumbawanga · AQI 61 (Moderate)
Sumbawanga's tree count comes to 46,181 trees across 12.57 km², 15 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 48,066 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Sumbawanga today: AQI 61, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 10, 20:00 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
15.1
PM10
17.8
NO₂
4.4
O₃
67.0
SO₂
0.8
CO
271.0
- 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 Sumbawanga's daily AQI at 71 on average, from 59 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 103 on Nov 9.
Where Sumbawanga stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Sumbawanga: Critically low
14.7% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
46,181
Target trees
94,247
More trees needed
48,066
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,057 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Sumbawanga lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Sumbawanga has lost about 105 hectares of forest (about 150 football pitches): 14% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (79%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
2017: satellite photo from August 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 105 haabout 150 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 14%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 83 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2020, when about 13 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2002 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2003 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2004 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2005 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2006 | 9 ha | 2 ha | 11 ha |
| 2007 | 6 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2008 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2010 | 9 ha | under 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2011 | 7 ha | under 1 ha | 7 ha |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2013 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2014 | 2 ha | 2 ha | 4 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | 8 ha | 8 ha |
| 2016 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2017 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2018 | 2 ha | 3 ha | 6 ha |
| 2019 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2020 | 8 ha | 5 ha | 13 ha |
| 2021 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2023 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2024 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2025 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Sumbawanga?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good79% · 83 ha
- Loggingcan grow back20% · 21 ha
Also: towns and roads, 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
- 610 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 644 ha
- Overall change
- +34 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Sumbawanga grew from about 610 hectares to 644 hectares, a net gain of about 34 hectares (+5.6%). New forest grew on about 124 hectares, while 91 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
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Frequently asked
Questions about Sumbawanga
What is the air quality (AQI) in Sumbawanga right now?
The latest reading for Sumbawanga shows an AQI of 61 (Moderate), observed Nov 10, 20:00 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 Sumbawanga today?
At AQI 61 (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 Sumbawanga been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Sumbawanga's daily AQI at 71 on average, from 59 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 103 on Nov 9. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Sumbawanga lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Sumbawanga has lost about 105 hectares of forest (about 150 football pitches): 14% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (79%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Sumbawanga grew from about 610 hectares to 644 hectares, a net gain of about 34 hectares (+5.6%). New forest grew on about 124 hectares, while 91 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Sumbawanga?
Sumbawanga has an estimated 46,181 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 14.7% tree cover, 15 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Sumbawanga need?
Sumbawanga needs roughly 48,066 more trees to close a 15-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,057 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Sumbawanga'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 Sumbawanga; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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