City report · North Holland, The Netherlands
Zaanstad Air quality today
Air quality in Zaanstad currently reads AQI 74 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 74
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 21.2
- tree cover
- 22.8%
- trees in this area
- 67.5K
- more trees needed
- 21.3K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Schilders- en Waddenbuurt, Zaandam, Netherlands (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Aug 12, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Zaanstad · AQI 74 (Moderate)
Zaanstad's tree count comes to 67,474 trees across 11.84 km² of land, 7 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 21,308 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Zaanstad today: AQI 74, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 17:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Amsterdam-Westerpark, 7.6 km away · median of 10 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
21.2
PM10
23.4
NO₂
11.9
O₃
33.2
SO₂
0.3
CO
441.0
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 Zaanstad's daily AQI at 76 on average, from 45 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 104 on Nov 10.
Where Zaanstad stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Zaanstad: Below target
22.8% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 11.84 km² of land.
Trees in this area
67,474
Target trees
88,782
More trees needed
21,308
CO₂ if planted / yr
468.8 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Zaanstad lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Zaanstad has lost about 69 hectares of forest (about 96 football pitches): 1.3% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (68%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2019: satellite photo from August 2019 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 69 haabout 96 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 1.3%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 47 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2010, when about 10 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 | 4 ha | 3 ha | 7 ha |
| 2002 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2004 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2005 | 2 ha | 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2006 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2007 | 5 ha | 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2008 | 2 ha | 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2009 | 5 ha | 1 ha | 7 ha |
| 2010 | 4 ha | 6 ha | 10 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2012 | 4 ha | 1 ha | 5 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 | 1 ha |
| 2017 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2019 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2021 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2022 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2023 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2024 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Zaanstad?
- Towns and roadscleared for good59% · 41 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good9.3% · 6 ha
- Loggingcan grow back7.1% · 5 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
- 2,360 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 2,540 ha
- Overall change
- +180 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Zaanstad grew from about 2,360 hectares to 2,540 hectares, a net gain of about 180 hectares (+7.6%). New forest grew on about 334 hectares, while 154 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 Zaanstad
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Haarlem14.4 km
The Netherlands
- Tree cover
- 25%
- Air quality
- 65
- Hoofddorp18.8 km
The Netherlands
- Tree cover
- 23%
- Air quality
- 66
- Almere Stad28.7 km
The Netherlands
- Tree cover
- 34%
- Air quality
- 106
- Leiden39.4 km
The Netherlands
- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 121
- Utrecht45.4 km
The Netherlands
- Tree cover
- 27%
- Air quality
- 74
- Zoetermeer49.1 km
The Netherlands
- Tree cover
- 32%
- Air quality
- 103
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Frequently asked
Questions about Zaanstad
What is the air quality (AQI) in Zaanstad right now?
The latest reading for Zaanstad shows an AQI of 74 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 17:00 local time by 10 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Amsterdam-Westerpark, 7.6 km away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Zaanstad today?
At AQI 74 (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 Zaanstad been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Zaanstad's daily AQI at 76 on average, from 45 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 104 on Nov 10. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Zaanstad lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Zaanstad has lost about 69 hectares of forest (about 96 football pitches): 1.3% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (68%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Zaanstad grew from about 2,360 hectares to 2,540 hectares, a net gain of about 180 hectares (+7.6%). New forest grew on about 334 hectares, while 154 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Zaanstad?
Zaanstad has an estimated 67,474 trees across the 11.84 km² of land measured — 22.8% tree cover, 7 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Zaanstad need?
Zaanstad needs roughly 21,308 more trees to close a 7-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 468.8 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Zaanstad's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Schilders- en Waddenbuurt, 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 Schilders- en Waddenbuurt; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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