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Air quality · DR Congo

Kinshasa Air Quality Index (AQI) today

Modelled estimate for 13:00 local time (UTC+1), refreshed 3 Nov, 07:52 UTC+0.

55 Moderate

Live estimate · modelled

US EPA AQI13:00 UTC+1, 3 Nov Main pollutant: PM2.5

Air quality is acceptable. However, there may be a risk for some people, particularly those who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.

This page uses EPA’s NowCast, which follows the last few hours, as the US government’s AirNow does. On a 24-hour average of particles, as many apps show, it is 62.

Over the next 24 hours the model expects the AQI to range from 50 around 11:00 to 68 around 19:00 (3 Nov).

574th most polluted of 849 cities worldwide right now, 4th of 9 in DR Congo.

What to do today

  • Long walk or run outside OK, lighter if very sensitive
  • Kids playing outside OK
  • Airing the house Open
  • Mask outdoors Not needed

Based on the US EPA’s health statement: “Air quality is acceptable. However, there may be a risk for some people, particularly those who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.” General guidance, not medical advice.

Last 24 hours and next 48

Past hours Forecast

14:00 · 66 15:00 · 66 16:00 · 67 17:00 · 68 18:00 · 69 19:00 · 70 20:00 · 68 21:00 · 68 22:00 · 68 23:00 · 68 00:00 · 68 01:00 · 68 02:00 · 67 03:00 · 64 04:00 · 60 05:00 · 56 06:00 · 55 07:00 · 54 08:00 · 53 09:00 · 53 10:00 · 52 11:00 · 53 12:00 · 54 13:00 · 55 14:00 · 56 15:00 · 57 16:00 · 58 17:00 · 59 18:00 · 62 19:00 · 68 20:00 · 67 21:00 · 64 22:00 · 61 23:00 · 58 00:00 · 56 01:00 · 55 02:00 · 55 03:00 · 55 04:00 · 56 05:00 · 57 06:00 · 59 07:00 · 58 08:00 · 55 09:00 · 53 10:00 · 51 11:00 · 50 12:00 · 51 13:00 · 52 14:00 · 53 15:00 · 54 16:00 · 55 17:00 · 56 18:00 · 63 19:00 · 73 20:00 · 79 21:00 · 79 22:00 · 76 23:00 · 71 00:00 · 64 01:00 · 58 02:00 · 54 03:00 · 48 04:00 · 41 05:00 · 37 06:00 · 37 07:00 · 38 08:00 · 39 Now

US EPA AQI per hour, UTC+1. Particles use EPA’s NowCast (a 12-hour weighted average), ozone and CO an 8-hour average. Lighter bars are the CAMS forecast.

Show as a table
TimeAQI
Mon 14:0066
Mon 15:0066
Mon 16:0067
Mon 17:0068
Mon 18:0069
Mon 19:0070
Mon 20:0068
Mon 21:0068
Mon 22:0068
Mon 23:0068
Tue 00:0068
Tue 01:0068
Tue 02:0067
Tue 03:0064
Tue 04:0060
Tue 05:0056
Tue 06:0055
Tue 07:0054
Tue 08:0053
Tue 09:0053
Tue 10:0052
Tue 11:0053
Tue 12:0054
Tue 13:00 · Now55
Tue 14:00 · Forecast56
Tue 15:00 · Forecast57
Tue 16:00 · Forecast58
Tue 17:00 · Forecast59
Tue 18:00 · Forecast62
Tue 19:00 · Forecast68
Tue 20:00 · Forecast67
Tue 21:00 · Forecast64
Tue 22:00 · Forecast61
Tue 23:00 · Forecast58
Wed 00:00 · Forecast56
Wed 01:00 · Forecast55
Wed 02:00 · Forecast55
Wed 03:00 · Forecast55
Wed 04:00 · Forecast56
Wed 05:00 · Forecast57
Wed 06:00 · Forecast59
Wed 07:00 · Forecast58
Wed 08:00 · Forecast55
Wed 09:00 · Forecast53
Wed 10:00 · Forecast51
Wed 11:00 · Forecast50
Wed 12:00 · Forecast51
Wed 13:00 · Forecast52
Wed 14:00 · Forecast53
Wed 15:00 · Forecast54
Wed 16:00 · Forecast55
Wed 17:00 · Forecast56
Wed 18:00 · Forecast63
Wed 19:00 · Forecast73
Wed 20:00 · Forecast79
Wed 21:00 · Forecast79
Wed 22:00 · Forecast76
Wed 23:00 · Forecast71
Thu 00:00 · Forecast64
Thu 01:00 · Forecast58
Thu 02:00 · Forecast54
Thu 03:00 · Forecast48
Thu 04:00 · Forecast41
Thu 05:00 · Forecast37
Thu 06:00 · Forecast37
Thu 07:00 · Forecast38
Thu 08:00 · Forecast39

Pollutants this hour

  • PM2.5 12.6 µg/m³ 24-hour mean 14.9 µg/m³ · within WHO’s 24-hour guideline (15) 55
  • PM10 13 µg/m³ 10
  • O₃ 102 µg/m³ 34
  • NO₂ 1 µg/m³ 0
  • SO₂ 1 µg/m³ 0
  • CO 0.42 mg/m³ 3

Modelled concentrations at the city’s location (CAMS). The sub-index uses the same averaging as the headline, so the highest one is the AQI.

Nearby cities

City AQI
Brazzaville Congo 55
Pointe-Noire Congo 41
Luanda Angola 58
Calumbo Angola 43
Tshikapa Kasai 33
Kananga Kasai-Central 24
Ciudad de la Paz Equatorial Guinea 55

Where this number comes from

The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) forecasts air pollution worldwide on a grid (about 11 km over Europe, about 45 km elsewhere). We take the grid value at Kinshasa’s coordinates and score it with the US EPA’s method. It is a model, not a measurement: a nearby monitoring station can read quite differently, especially next to busy roads or during fires and dust storms.

Full methodology · Data: CAMS via Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0); city list: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0).

  • Good 0–50
  • Moderate 51–100
  • Unhealthy for sensitive groups 101–150
  • Unhealthy 151–200
  • Very unhealthy 201–300
  • Hazardous 301–500

Questions

What is the AQI in Kinshasa right now?
55 on the US EPA scale (Moderate) at 13:00 UTC+1, 3 Nov. PM2.5 is the pollutant with the highest sub-index. This is a modelled estimate from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), not a reading from a monitoring station.

Is it safe to exercise outside in Kinshasa today?
For most people, yes. The EPA’s statement for “Moderate”: Air quality is acceptable. However, there may be a risk for some people, particularly those who are unusually sensitive to air pollution. General guidance, not medical advice.

Will the air in Kinshasa get better or worse tomorrow?
Over the next 24 hours the model expects the AQI to range from 50 around 11:00 to 68 around 19:00 (3 Nov). Forecasts beyond a day are less certain.

How does Kinshasa compare with other cities?
Right now it is the 574th most polluted of 849 cities we track worldwide, and 4th of 9 in DR Congo, all on the same US EPA scale.

Why does another app show a different AQI for Kinshasa?
Apps differ in source (government stations, low-cost sensors or a model like this one), in scale (US EPA, European, or a national index) and in averaging (hourly or NowCast, 8-hour, 24-hour). This page uses the US EPA AQI with EPA’s NowCast for particles, computed from the CAMS forecast for the city’s location.