City report · Utrecht, The Netherlands
Utrecht Air quality today
Air quality in Utrecht currently reads AQI 73 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 73
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 20.7
- tree cover
- 27.0%
- trees in this area
- 84.7K
- more trees needed
- 9.4K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Neude Janskerkhof en Domplein, Utrecht, Netherlands (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Aug 26, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Utrecht · AQI 73 (Moderate)
Utrecht's tree count comes to 84,738 trees across 12.56 km² of land, 3 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 9,415 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Utrecht today: AQI 73, 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 · Utrecht-Griftpark, 1.2 km away · median of 6 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
20.7
PM10
25.0
NO₂
13.9
O₃
28.3
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 Utrecht's daily AQI at 71 on average, from 42 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 108 on Nov 7.
Where Utrecht stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Utrecht: Below target
27.0% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.56 km² of land.
Trees in this area
84,738
Target trees
94,153
More trees needed
9,415
CO₂ if planted / yr
207.1 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Utrecht lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Utrecht has lost about 147 hectares of forest (about 210 football pitches): 2% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (62%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from August 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 147 haabout 210 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 2%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 92 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2021, 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 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2002 | 2 ha | 3 ha | 5 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2005 | 4 ha | 2 ha | 6 ha |
| 2006 | 3 ha | 2 ha | 5 ha |
| 2007 | 7 ha | 4 ha | 11 ha |
| 2008 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2009 | 8 ha | 2 ha | 9 ha |
| 2010 | 7 ha | 6 ha | 13 ha |
| 2011 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2012 | 5 ha | 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2016 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2017 | 11 ha | 2 ha | 13 ha |
| 2018 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2019 | 1 ha | 7 ha | 8 ha |
| 2020 | 3 ha | 5 ha | 7 ha |
| 2021 | 10 ha | 6 ha | 16 ha |
| 2022 | 5 ha | 7 ha | 12 ha |
| 2023 | 2 ha | 2 ha | 4 ha |
| 2024 | 3 ha | 2 ha | 5 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Utrecht?
- Towns and roadscleared for good61% · 90 ha
- Loggingcan grow back27% · 40 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good1.1% · 2 ha
Also: 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
- 5,360 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 6,420 ha
- Overall change
- +1,060 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Utrecht grew from about 5,360 hectares to 6,420 hectares, a net gain of about 1,060 hectares (+20%). New forest grew on about 1,190 hectares, while 135 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 Utrecht
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Amersfoort19.5 km
The Netherlands
- Tree cover
- 36%
- Air quality
- 119
- Almere Stad31.7 km
The Netherlands
- Tree cover
- 34%
- Air quality
- 106
- Hoofddorp37.8 km
The Netherlands
- Tree cover
- 23%
- Air quality
- 66
- Zoetermeer43.2 km
The Netherlands
- Tree cover
- 32%
- Air quality
- 103
- Leiden43.6 km
The Netherlands
- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 121
Also compared:Utrecht vs RotterdamUtrecht vs GroningenUtrecht vs Eindhoven
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Frequently asked
Questions about Utrecht
What is the air quality (AQI) in Utrecht right now?
The latest reading for Utrecht shows an AQI of 73 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 16:00 local time by 6 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Utrecht-Griftpark, 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 Utrecht today?
At AQI 73 (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 Utrecht been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Utrecht's daily AQI at 71 on average, from 42 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 108 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 Utrecht lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Utrecht has lost about 147 hectares of forest (about 210 football pitches): 2% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (62%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Utrecht grew from about 5,360 hectares to 6,420 hectares, a net gain of about 1,060 hectares (+20%). New forest grew on about 1,190 hectares, while 135 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Utrecht?
Utrecht has an estimated 84,738 trees across the 12.56 km² of land measured — 27.0% tree cover, 3 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Utrecht need?
Utrecht needs roughly 9,415 more trees to close a 3-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 207.1 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Utrecht's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Neude Janskerkhof en Domplein, 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 Neude Janskerkhof en Domplein; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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