City report · Malawi
Zomba Air quality today
Air quality in Zomba currently reads AQI 79 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 79
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 24.0
- tree cover
- 34.6%
- trees in this area
- 109K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 2 km radius around Mapale, Zomba, Malawi (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 18, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Zomba · AQI 79 (Moderate)
Zomba's tree count comes to 108,699 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 Zomba today: AQI 79, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 18:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · CBD, Zomba, 400 m away · median of 3 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
24.0
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, MUBAS Air Quality
- 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
Where Zomba stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Zomba: Healthy tree cover
34.6% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
108,699
Target trees
108,699
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Zomba lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Zomba has lost about 2,480 hectares of forest (about 3,500 football pitches): 34% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was farms, pasture and plantations (48%). About 1,200 hectares (48%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from October 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 4 km northwest of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 2,480 haabout 3,500 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 34%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 1,200 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 92 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 114 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2006, when about 282 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 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2002 | 4 ha | 7 ha | 11 ha |
| 2003 | 31 ha | 22 ha | 53 ha |
| 2004 | 6 ha | 13 ha | 19 ha |
| 2005 | 83 ha | 42 ha | 125 ha |
| 2006 | 177 ha | 105 ha | 282 ha |
| 2007 | 76 ha | 35 ha | 111 ha |
| 2008 | 61 ha | 24 ha | 84 ha |
| 2009 | 23 ha | 26 ha | 49 ha |
| 2010 | 3 ha | 11 ha | 14 ha |
| 2011 | 25 ha | 12 ha | 37 ha |
| 2012 | 150 ha | 92 ha | 242 ha |
| 2013 | 78 ha | 54 ha | 132 ha |
| 2014 | 62 ha | 85 ha | 147 ha |
| 2015 | 42 ha | 99 ha | 141 ha |
| 2016 | 15 ha | 97 ha | 112 ha |
| 2017 | 27 ha | 93 ha | 120 ha |
| 2018 | 26 ha | 78 ha | 104 ha |
| 2019 | 60 ha | 67 ha | 127 ha |
| 2020 | 14 ha | 94 ha | 107 ha |
| 2021 | 32 ha | 80 ha | 112 ha |
| 2022 | 89 ha | 90 ha | 179 ha |
| 2023 | 44 ha | 17 ha | 61 ha |
| 2024 | 18 ha | 24 ha | 42 ha |
| 2025 | 51 ha | 17 ha | 67 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Zomba?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good48% · 1,190 ha
- Loggingcan grow back42% · 1,040 ha
- Shifting farmingcan grow back9.7% · 240 ha
Also: towns and roads, 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
- 8,860 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 6,770 ha
- Overall change
- −2,090 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Zomba shrank from about 8,860 hectares to 6,770 hectares, a net loss of about 2,090 hectares (−24%). New forest grew on about 122 hectares, but 2,220 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
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Frequently asked
Questions about Zomba
What is the air quality (AQI) in Zomba right now?
The latest reading for Zomba shows an AQI of 79 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 18:00 local time by 3 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is CBD, Zomba, 400 m away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Zomba today?
At AQI 79 (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.
How much forest has the area around Zomba lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Zomba has lost about 2,480 hectares of forest (about 3,500 football pitches): 34% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was farms, pasture and plantations (48%). About 1,200 hectares (48%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 92 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 114 hectares a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Zomba shrank from about 8,860 hectares to 6,770 hectares, a net loss of about 2,090 hectares (−24%). New forest grew on about 122 hectares, but 2,220 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Zomba?
Zomba has an estimated 108,699 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 34.6% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Zomba need?
Zomba has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Zomba's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Mapale, 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 Mapale; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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