Good news! 2025 ozone hole fifth smallest since 1992, on track to recover

The 2025 Antarctic ozone hole was the fifth smallest since 1992, indicating positive progress in ozone layer recovery as reported by NASA and NOAA. Despite its vast size, averaging 18.71 million square kilometers during peak depletion, the hole was considerably smaller than in previous decades. The largest one-day extent of the 2025 hole occurred on September 9, covering 22.86 million square kilometers, about 30% less than the record in 2006. This year’s hole also began to break up earlier than usual, reflecting changes in atmospheric conditions.