City report · South Sudan
Yei Air quality today
Air quality in Yei currently reads AQI 62 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 62
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 12.8
- tree cover
- 34.4%
- trees in this area
- 108K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 2 km radius around Yei, South Sudan (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Aug 31, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Yei · AQI 62 (Moderate)
Yei's tree count comes to 108,071 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 Yei today: AQI 62, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 08:00 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
12.8
PM10
17.8
NO₂
1.3
O₃
69.0
SO₂
0.4
CO
184.0
- 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 Yei's daily AQI at 63 on average, from 54 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 87 on Nov 6.
Where Yei stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Yei: Healthy tree cover
34.4% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
108,071
Target trees
108,071
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Yei lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Yei has lost about 3,700 hectares of forest (about 5,200 football pitches): 15% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to shifting farming, so much of it can grow back. About 1,820 hectares (49%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from January 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 6 km south of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 3,700 haabout 5,200 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 15%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 1,820 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss is speeding up: about 70 hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 17 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2008, when about 595 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 | 61 ha | 41 ha | 102 ha |
| 2002 | 41 ha | 37 ha | 77 ha |
| 2003 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2004 | 133 ha | 113 ha | 246 ha |
| 2005 | 235 ha | 180 ha | 415 ha |
| 2006 | 194 ha | 154 ha | 348 ha |
| 2007 | 198 ha | 144 ha | 342 ha |
| 2008 | 314 ha | 281 ha | 595 ha |
| 2009 | 190 ha | 156 ha | 346 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2011 | 263 ha | 140 ha | 403 ha |
| 2012 | 49 ha | 78 ha | 127 ha |
| 2013 | 21 ha | 105 ha | 126 ha |
| 2014 | 9 ha | 87 ha | 96 ha |
| 2015 | 4 ha | 34 ha | 38 ha |
| 2016 | 6 ha | 14 ha | 20 ha |
| 2017 | 3 ha | 7 ha | 10 ha |
| 2018 | 2 ha | 2 ha | 4 ha |
| 2019 | 7 ha | 19 ha | 26 ha |
| 2020 | 8 ha | 19 ha | 27 ha |
| 2021 | 7 ha | 16 ha | 23 ha |
| 2022 | 7 ha | 17 ha | 24 ha |
| 2023 | 10 ha | 34 ha | 44 ha |
| 2024 | 17 ha | 47 ha | 64 ha |
| 2025 | 40 ha | 154 ha | 193 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Yei?
- Shifting farmingcan grow back51% · 1,870 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good29% · 1,070 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good20% · 754 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
- 22,400 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 17,000 ha
- Overall change
- −5,380 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Yei shrank from about 22,400 hectares to 17,000 hectares, a net loss of about 5,380 hectares (−24%). New forest grew on about 376 hectares, but 5,750 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 Yei
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Gulu232.3 km
Uganda
- Tree cover
- 38%
- Air quality
- 33
- Bunia285.8 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 14%
- Air quality
- 39
- Masindi292.8 km
Uganda
- Tree cover
- 57%
- Air quality
- 43
- Hoima305.3 km
Uganda
- Tree cover
- 53%
- Air quality
- 65
- Lira320.9 km
Uganda
- Tree cover
- 38%
- Air quality
- 53
Also compared:Yei vs Winejok
Build your own
Compare Yei with anywhere
This place
Yei
Use this data
Put Yei's numbers on your site
Free to embed. Updates itself as the measurement refreshes.
Frequently asked
Questions about Yei
What is the air quality (AQI) in Yei right now?
The latest reading for Yei shows an AQI of 62 (Moderate), observed Nov 11, 08:00 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 Yei today?
At AQI 62 (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 Yei been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Yei's daily AQI at 63 on average, from 54 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 87 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 Yei lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Yei has lost about 3,700 hectares of forest (about 5,200 football pitches): 15% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to shifting farming, so much of it can grow back. About 1,820 hectares (49%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Forest loss is speeding up: about 70 hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 17 hectares a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Yei shrank from about 22,400 hectares to 17,000 hectares, a net loss of about 5,380 hectares (−24%). New forest grew on about 376 hectares, but 5,750 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Yei?
Yei has an estimated 108,071 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 34.4% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Yei need?
Yei has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Yei'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 Yei; 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