City report · England, United Kingdom
Walthamstow Air quality today
Air quality in Walthamstow currently reads AQI 81 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 81
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 25.3
- tree cover
- 22.4%
- trees in this area
- 66.4K
- more trees needed
- 22.5K
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Walthamstow, London, UK (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Aug 25, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Walthamstow · AQI 81 (Moderate)
Walthamstow's tree count comes to 66,360 trees across 4.6 sq mi (11.85 km²) of land, 8 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 22,515 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Walthamstow today: AQI 81, 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 · Coronation Square, 2.2 mi (3.5 km) away · median of 11 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
25.3
PM10
—
NO₂
24.5
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, London Air Quality Network, RC, user1, GRL_CAU
- 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 Walthamstow's daily AQI at 75 on average, from 38 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 116 on Nov 6.
This is the US EPA AQI. How it differs from the UK's Daily Air Quality Index
Where Walthamstow stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Walthamstow: Below target
22.4% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.6 sq mi (11.85 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
66,360
Target trees
88,875
More trees needed
22,515
CO₂ if planted / yr
495.3 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Walthamstow lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Walthamstow has lost about 6 hectares of forest (about 9 football pitches): under 1% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was towns and roads (13%). Almost none of it was deforestation, meaning forest cleared for good.
2017: satellite photo from August 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 6 haabout 9 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- under 1%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- under 1 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2008, when about 2 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 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 | 1 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 2 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Walthamstow?
- Towns and roadscleared for good13% · under 1 ha
- Loggingcan grow back3.1% · under 1 ha
- Unknown causescause unknown86% · 6 ha
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
- 11,000 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 11,700 ha
- Overall change
- +707 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Walthamstow grew from about 11,000 hectares to 11,700 hectares, a net gain of about 707 hectares (+6.4%). New forest grew on about 764 hectares, while 56 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 Walthamstow
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Bexley20.3 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 40%
- Air quality
- 56
- Harrow21.6 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 29%
- Air quality
- 52
- Watford26.9 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 55
- Sutton29.5 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 45%
- Air quality
- 71
- Basildon33.2 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 31%
- Air quality
- 51
- Chelmsford37.5 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 24%
- Air quality
- 51
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Frequently asked
Questions about Walthamstow
What is the air quality (AQI) in Walthamstow right now?
The latest reading for Walthamstow shows an AQI of 81 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 16:00 local time by 11 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Coronation Square, 2.2 mi (3.5 km) away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Walthamstow today?
At AQI 81 (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 Walthamstow been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Walthamstow's daily AQI at 75 on average, from 38 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 116 on Nov 6. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Is Walthamstow's AQI the same as the UK's Daily Air Quality Index?
No. Airleaf shows the US EPA Air Quality Index (AQI), the scale used by IQAir and most air-quality apps. The UK's Daily Air Quality Index (DAQI), published by Defra, runs from 1 to 10: 1–3 low, 4–6 moderate, 7–9 high and 10 very high. It is a different scale altogether, so a US AQI figure can't be read on it directly; both, though, are built from the same main pollutants, with fine particles (PM2.5) usually the one that decides the reading.
How much forest has the area around Walthamstow lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Walthamstow has lost about 6 hectares of forest (about 9 football pitches): under 1% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was towns and roads (13%). Almost none of it was deforestation, meaning forest cleared for good. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Walthamstow grew from about 11,000 hectares to 11,700 hectares, a net gain of about 707 hectares (+6.4%). New forest grew on about 764 hectares, while 56 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Walthamstow?
Walthamstow has an estimated 66,360 trees across the 4.6 sq mi (11.85 km²) of land measured — 22.4% tree cover, 8 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Walthamstow need?
Walthamstow needs roughly 22,515 more trees to close a 8-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 495.3 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Walthamstow's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Walthamstow, 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 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Walthamstow; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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