City report · South Holland, The Netherlands
Zoetermeer Air quality today
Air quality in Zoetermeer currently reads AQI 111 (Unhealthy for sensitive groups): Sensitive groups should limit long or intense outdoor activity.
AQI 111
Air quality right now
Unhealthy for sensitive groups
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 39.5
- tree cover
- 32.2%
- trees in this area
- 101K
- more trees needed
- 8.8K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Zoetermeer, Netherlands (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Aug 12, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Zoetermeer · AQI 111 (Unhealthy for sensitive groups)
Zoetermeer's tree count comes to 100,856 trees across 12.53 km² of land, 3 points below the 35% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 8,770 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Zoetermeer today: AQI 111, Unhealthy for sensitive groups
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 19:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Mauve13, 7.9 km away · median of 8 stations
Health signal
Sensitive groups should limit long or intense outdoor activity.
PM2.5
39.5
PM10
14.7
NO₂
17.0
O₃
22.1
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, EEA, Netherlands, ReneH, nmol, Spooky, RIVM · Luchtmeetnet, Thijs, Laur
- Outdoor exercise
- Children, older adults and people with asthma or heart disease should cut down long or hard exercise
- Windows
- Close them to keep the outside air out
- Mask
- Sensitive groups: an N95 outdoors
- Air purifier
- Run one, especially in bedrooms
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Zoetermeer's daily AQI at 72 on average, from 45 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 102 on Nov 7.
Where Zoetermeer stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Zoetermeer: Below target
32.2% tree cover against a 35% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.53 km² of land.
Trees in this area
100,856
Target trees
109,626
More trees needed
8,770
CO₂ if planted / yr
192.9 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Zoetermeer lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Zoetermeer has lost about 83 hectares of forest (about 120 football pitches): 2.4% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (74%) 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
- 83 haabout 120 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 2.4%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 62 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2019, when about 15 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 | 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2003 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2005 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2006 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2008 | 2 ha | 2 ha | 4 ha |
| 2009 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2010 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 3 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 | 3 ha | 3 ha |
| 2016 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2017 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 2 ha |
| 2018 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2019 | 13 ha | 2 ha | 15 ha |
| 2020 | 6 ha | 1 ha | 7 ha |
| 2021 | 6 ha | 2 ha | 8 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2023 | 8 ha | 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2024 | 2 ha | 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2025 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Zoetermeer?
- Towns and roadscleared for good74% · 62 ha
- Loggingcan grow back16% · 13 ha
- Unknown causescause unknown10% · 9 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
- 2,450 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 2,870 ha
- Overall change
- +420 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Zoetermeer grew from about 2,450 hectares to 2,870 hectares, a net gain of about 420 hectares (+17%). New forest grew on about 552 hectares, while 132 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 Zoetermeer
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- The Hague13.5 km
The Netherlands
- Tree cover
- 22%
- Air quality
- 74
- Rotterdam15.0 km
The Netherlands
- Tree cover
- 26%
- Air quality
- 72
- Dordrecht30.2 km
The Netherlands
- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 73
- Hoofddorp30.3 km
The Netherlands
- Tree cover
- 23%
- Air quality
- 66
- Haarlem37.3 km
The Netherlands
- Tree cover
- 25%
- Air quality
- 70
- Utrecht43.2 km
The Netherlands
- Tree cover
- 27%
- Air quality
- 72
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Frequently asked
Questions about Zoetermeer
What is the air quality (AQI) in Zoetermeer right now?
The latest reading for Zoetermeer shows an AQI of 111 (Unhealthy for sensitive groups), measured Nov 11, 19:00 local time by 8 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Mauve13, 7.9 km away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Sensitive groups should limit long or intense outdoor activity.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Zoetermeer today?
At AQI 111 (Unhealthy for sensitive groups): children, older adults and people with asthma or heart disease should cut down long or hard exercise. Windows: close them to keep the outside air out. Masks: sensitive groups: an N95 outdoors. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.
What has the air quality in Zoetermeer been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Zoetermeer's daily AQI at 72 on average, from 45 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 102 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 Zoetermeer lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Zoetermeer has lost about 83 hectares of forest (about 120 football pitches): 2.4% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (74%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Zoetermeer grew from about 2,450 hectares to 2,870 hectares, a net gain of about 420 hectares (+17%). New forest grew on about 552 hectares, while 132 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Zoetermeer?
Zoetermeer has an estimated 100,856 trees across the 12.53 km² of land measured — 32.2% tree cover, 3 percentage points short of the 35% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Zoetermeer need?
Zoetermeer needs roughly 8,770 more trees to close a 3-point shortfall against its 35% tree-cover target — about 192.9 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Zoetermeer's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Zoetermeer, 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 Zoetermeer; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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