City report · Greece
Thessaloníki Air quality today
Air quality in Thessaloníki currently reads AQI 71 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 71
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 20.0
- tree cover
- 7.3%
- trees in this area
- 17.6K
- more trees needed
- 54.6K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Thessaloniki, Greece (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 14, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Thessaloníki · AQI 71 (Moderate)
Thessaloníki's tree count comes to 17,567 trees across 9.63 km² of land, 23 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 54,627 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Thessaloníki today: AQI 71, 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 · AGIA SOFIA, 1.2 km away · median of 2 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
20.0
PM10
—
NO₂
42.0
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
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 Thessaloníki's daily AQI at 53 on average, from 36 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 93 on Nov 6.
Where Thessaloníki stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Thessaloníki: Critically low
7.3% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 9.63 km² of land.
Trees in this area
17,567
Target trees
72,194
More trees needed
54,627
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,202 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Thessaloníki lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Thessaloníki has lost about 30 hectares of forest (about 43 football pitches): 2% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 8 hectares (25%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from September 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 30 haabout 43 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 2%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 8 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2020, when about 16 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 | 1 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2005 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2017 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2019 | 1 ha | 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2020 | 1 ha | 15 ha | 16 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | 3 ha | 4 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 1 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Thessaloníki?
- Loggingcan grow back62% · 19 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good20% · 6 ha
- Wildfirescan grow back9.2% · 3 ha
Also: farms, pasture and plantations, 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
- 3,140 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 3,370 ha
- Overall change
- +230 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Thessaloníki grew from about 3,140 hectares to 3,370 hectares, a net gain of about 230 hectares (+7.3%). New forest grew on about 249 hectares, while 19 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 Thessaloníki
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Prilep139.9 km
North Macedonia
- Tree cover
- 7%
- Air quality
- 91
- Bitola141.4 km
North Macedonia
- Tree cover
- 19%
- Air quality
- 156
- Kumanovo194.6 km
North Macedonia
- Tree cover
- 13%
- Air quality
- 80
- Skopje196.2 km
North Macedonia
- Tree cover
- 23%
- Air quality
- 65
- Tetovo223.7 km
North Macedonia
- Tree cover
- 32%
- Air quality
- 126
Also compared:Thessaloníki vs AthensThessaloníki vs Pátra
Build your own
Compare Thessaloníki with anywhere
This place
Thessaloníki
Use this data
Put Thessaloníki's numbers on your site
Free to embed. Updates itself as the measurement refreshes.
Frequently asked
Questions about Thessaloníki
What is the air quality (AQI) in Thessaloníki right now?
The latest reading for Thessaloníki shows an AQI of 71 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 18:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is AGIA SOFIA, 1.2 km away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Thessaloníki today?
At AQI 71 (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 Thessaloníki been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Thessaloníki's daily AQI at 53 on average, from 36 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 93 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 Thessaloníki lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Thessaloníki has lost about 30 hectares of forest (about 43 football pitches): 2% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 8 hectares (25%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Thessaloníki grew from about 3,140 hectares to 3,370 hectares, a net gain of about 230 hectares (+7.3%). New forest grew on about 249 hectares, while 19 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Thessaloníki?
Thessaloníki has an estimated 17,567 trees across the 9.63 km² of land measured — 7.3% tree cover, 23 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Thessaloníki need?
Thessaloníki needs roughly 54,627 more trees to close a 23-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,202 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Thessaloníki's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Thessaloniki, 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 Thessaloniki; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
See your own area
What does your neighborhood look like?
Pick any point and radius to get the same air-quality and tree-cover breakdown.
Check my address