SmogRank / World / Africa / South Africa / Gauteng

Most polluted cities in Gauteng, South Africa

4 measured cities, last 30 days; 4 above the WHO 24-hour guideline. Worst: Vereeniging at 45.1 µg/m³, #38 in the world.

About 475K people in these 3 cities breathed unhealthy air on an average day over the last 30 days.

Ranked by people: each city's population times its share of unhealthy days, those with a daily mean over 35.4 µg/m³ (US AQI 101+). That is how many people living there breathed unhealthy air on an average day. Only cities measured at 2 or more places at least 3 km apart are ranked: one monitor shouldn't speak for a whole city. Population is the city itself, not its wider metro area.

North West: 2 measured citiesKwaZulu-Natal: 6 measured citiesFree State: 1 measured cityLimpopo: 8 measured citiesMpumalanga: 6 measured citiesGauteng: 4 measured cities#4 Tokoza: 20.5 µg/m³#3 Evaton: 22.9 µg/m³#2 Thembisa: 29.9 µg/m³#1 Vereeniging: 45.1 µg/m³
Each dot is a measured city, coloured by its PM2.5; tap a dot to open the city.
← Vereeniging 302K 300K0
Every measured city in Gauteng, South Africa with monitors in two or more places, one column each, ranked by people breathing unhealthy air: height is people on an average day, colour its average. Point at it to read a city; tap to open it.
  1. 1Vereeniginglast full day 2 Oct 302K
  2. 2Thembisa 146K
  3. 3Evaton 26.9K
Good0–50
Moderate51–100
Sensitive groups101–150
Unhealthy151–200
Very unhealthy201–300
Hazardous301+

The US EPA's Air Quality Index for PM2.5 (2024 breakpoints). Show values as: µg/m³ · US AQI · India AQI · China AQI · European AQI · UK DAQI · Canada AQHI+. About the scales

Estimated: cities without a monitor

Gauteng cities we can't measure, with model estimates for the last 7 days. Listed by population, not ranked: estimates aren't precise enough to rank. Model estimates from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), adjusted to measured cities nearby where there are any. Adjusted, a single day lands within ×1.5 of what a monitor would read about two times in three; unadjusted, it can be off by half or double. Treat them as a guide, not a measurement.

City7-day estimateBand
Pretoria≈ 9 µg/m³Good
Soweto≈ 18 µg/m³Moderate
Benoni≈ 16 µg/m³Moderate
Boksburg≈ 15 µg/m³Moderate
Krugersdorp≈ 9 µg/m³Moderate
Randburg≈ 15 µg/m³Moderate
Roodepoort≈ 15 µg/m³Moderate
Brakpan≈ 15 µg/m³Moderate
Germiston≈ 22 µg/m³Moderate
Carletonville≈ 9 µg/m³Moderate
Westonaria≈ 14 µg/m³Moderate
Nigel≈ 16 µg/m³Moderate
Randfontein≈ 9 µg/m³Moderate
Alberton≈ 22 µg/m³Moderate
Mabopane≈ 9 µg/m³Good
Heidelberg≈ 16 µg/m³Moderate
Edenvale≈ 15 µg/m³Moderate
Bronkhorstspruit≈ 11 µg/m³Moderate
Cullinan≈ 8 µg/m³Good
Midstream≈ 15 µg/m³Moderate
Verena≈ 9 µg/m³Moderate
Bagale≈ 9 µg/m³Moderate

Bad-air episodes in Gauteng

Times when many cities around here had PM2.5 at twice their usual or more on the same days.

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SmogRank, most polluted cities in Gauteng, South Africa, PM2.5, last 30 days to 6 Oct 2026, 22:00 UTC, smogrank.com/za/region/gauteng?w=30d.

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You're welcome to reuse a single chart, image or figure with this citation and a link. Terms. Raw monitor readings in bulk are published by OpenAQ, under each provider's licence.

Updated 2026-10-06 22:07 UTC. Values are PM2.5 (fine particles), the median of each city's monitors, as the US AQI PM2.5 sub-index.