City report · Bulgaria
Varna Air quality today
Air quality in Varna currently reads AQI 77 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 77
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 23.3
- tree cover
- 31.7%
- trees in this area
- 99.6K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 2 km radius around Tsveten kvartalPrimorski, 9010 Varna, Bulgaria (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 18, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Varna · AQI 77 (Moderate)
Varna's tree count comes to 99,588 trees across 12.57 km², already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Varna today: AQI 77, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 18:15 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Demo Station, 21.4 km away · median of 3 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
23.3
PM10
23.3
NO₂
17.2
O₃
34.8
SO₂
15.5
CO
440.0
Data: OpenAQ · EEA, senstate
- 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 Varna's daily AQI at 40 on average, from 29 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 61 on Nov 6.
Where Varna stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Varna: Healthy tree cover
31.7% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
99,588
Target trees
99,588
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Varna lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Varna has lost about 201 hectares of forest (about 280 football pitches): 3.4% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 62 hectares (31%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from August 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 6 km south of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 201 haabout 280 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 3.4%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 62 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2021, when about 45 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 | under 1 ha | 13 ha | 13 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | 21 ha | 21 ha |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | 7 ha | 7 ha |
| 2005 | under 1 ha | 5 ha | 6 ha |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | 5 ha | 6 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2008 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2009 | 2 ha | 2 ha | 3 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | 3 ha | 4 ha |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | 5 ha | 5 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | 3 ha | 3 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 3 ha |
| 2015 | 1 ha | 2 ha | 3 ha |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2017 | 2 ha | 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2018 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2019 | 2 ha | 3 ha | 5 ha |
| 2020 | 2 ha | 2 ha | 5 ha |
| 2021 | 18 ha | 27 ha | 45 ha |
| 2022 | 7 ha | 6 ha | 13 ha |
| 2023 | 6 ha | 3 ha | 9 ha |
| 2024 | 7 ha | 15 ha | 22 ha |
| 2025 | 5 ha | 8 ha | 13 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Varna?
- Loggingcan grow back62% · 124 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good30% · 60 ha
- Wildfirescan grow back2.9% · 6 ha
Also: farms, pasture and plantations, mining and energy, 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
- 6,190 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 6,570 ha
- Overall change
- +381 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Varna grew from about 6,190 hectares to 6,570 hectares, a net gain of about 381 hectares (+6.2%). New forest grew on about 410 hectares, while 29 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 Varna
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Constanţa121.7 km
Romania
- Tree cover
- 19%
- Air quality
- 92
- Ruse172.6 km
Bulgaria
- Tree cover
- 43%
- Air quality
- 67
- Bucharest197.8 km
Romania
- Tree cover
- 25%
- Air quality
- 80
- Edirne204.3 km
Turkey
- Tree cover
- 18%
- Air quality
- 79
- Stara Zagora204.6 km
Bulgaria
- Tree cover
- 35%
- Air quality
- 134
Also compared:Varna vs SofiaVarna vs Plovdiv
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Frequently asked
Questions about Varna
What is the air quality (AQI) in Varna right now?
The latest reading for Varna shows an AQI of 77 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 18:15 local time by 3 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Demo Station, 21.4 km away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Varna today?
At AQI 77 (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 Varna been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Varna's daily AQI at 40 on average, from 29 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 61 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 Varna lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Varna has lost about 201 hectares of forest (about 280 football pitches): 3.4% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 62 hectares (31%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Varna grew from about 6,190 hectares to 6,570 hectares, a net gain of about 381 hectares (+6.2%). New forest grew on about 410 hectares, while 29 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Varna?
Varna has an estimated 99,588 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 31.7% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Varna need?
Varna has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Varna's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Tsveten kvartalPrimorski, 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 Tsveten kvartalPrimorski; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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