Air quality comparison · Bolivia, 242 km apart
Potosí vs Tarija Air quality index (AQI) today
Potosí has cleaner air than Tarija right now: AQI 13 (Good) against 17 (Good).
Both sit in the same EPA band, so the health advice is the same for each today. Over the past 5 days, on modeled daily averages, Potosí averaged AQI 12 against 21, and it was the cleaner of the two on 4 of those days. Tarija has lost more forest since 2001. Tarija has more tree cover.
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Potosí13Tarija17
Head to head
Potosí vs Tarija at a glance
Potosí is ahead on 4 of 6 measures, and Tarija on 2. The better figure in each row is marked.
| Potosí | Tarija | |
|---|---|---|
| Air quality nowUS AQI. Lower is better. | 13 (better) | 17 |
| PM2.5Fine particles, µg/m³. | 2.3 (better) | 2.9 |
| Past week's averageUS AQI, 5 days. | 12 (better) | 21 |
| Forest lost since 2001Within 10 km of the center. | under 1 ha (better) | 10 ha |
| Tree coverWithin 2 km of the center. | 0.3% | 17.4% (better) |
| Trees still neededTo reach a healthy canopy. | 93.3K | 39.6K (better) |
Air quality today
What is the air like in Potosí and Tarija right now?
Potosí has cleaner air than Tarija right now: AQI 13 (Good) against 17 (Good). PM2.5 is setting the index in both.
Both readings are model estimates, with no ground station close enough to either.
PotosíTarija
Concentrations at the same moment as the index above, for the pollutants both places report. Lower is better. The dark marks on the PM2.5 and PM10 rows show the WHO's 24-hour guidelines (15 and 45 µg/m³).
Potosí: Model estimate · no ground station nearby. Data: Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index.
Tarija: Model estimate · no ground station nearby. Data: Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index.
The past week
Which had cleaner air over the past 5 days?
Over the past 5 days, on modeled daily averages, Potosí averaged AQI 12 against 21, and it was the cleaner of the two on 4 of those days. A single reading can catch a city on a bad afternoon; the week says whether it was the weather or the place.
- Cleaner days
- Potosí4Tarija1
- Average AQI
- Potosí12Tarija21
- Worst day, AQI
- Potosí22Tarija33
The daily numbers (5 days)
| Day | Potosí | Tarija |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 6 | 8 | 33 |
| Nov 7 | 11 | 24 |
| Nov 8 | 10 | 15 |
| Nov 9 | 22 | 20 |
| Nov 10 | 7 | 14 |
Daily averages from the CAMS atmospheric model for both places, so the week compares like with like. They can differ from today's reading at the top of the page wherever that comes from a ground station.
What it means today
Is it safe to go outside in Potosí and Tarija today?
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone. Both are in the same EPA band today (Good), so the advice is the same.
Exercise outdoors
A good day to be active outside.
Windows
Open them to air the house.
Masks
Not needed.
Air purifier
Not needed.
Against everywhere else
How do Potosí and Tarija compare with the rest of the world?
Right now Potosí's air is cleaner than 94% of the 5,420 places Airleaf tracks, and Tarija's is cleaner than 90%. Within Bolivia, that is 75% and 50% of its 9 measured places.
Cleaner air than…
- Potosí
- Beats 94%
- Tarija
- Beats 90%
More tree cover than…
- Potosí
- Beats 1%
- Tarija
- Beats 40%
Includes model estimates as well as station readings, so it can differ from our most polluted and cleanest air rankings, which use station readings only.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
Which has lost more forest, Potosí or Tarija?
Tarija has lost more: about 10 ha of forest within 10 km of its center from 2001 to 2025, against under 1 ha around Potosí. 5 ha of that was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
Measured within 10 km of each center, from the yearly satellite maps of forest loss: a wider circle than the one for tree cover, because forest is usually lost at a city's edges.
Worst year: 2007, with under 1 ha lost.
Worst year: 2010, with 2 ha lost.
| Potosí | Tarija | |
|---|---|---|
| Forest lost since 2001Cleared, burned or logged. | under 1 ha (better) | 10 ha |
| Cleared for goodTurned into farms, mines or towns. | under 1 ha (better) | 5 ha |
| Recent trend2021–2025 against the five years before. | Too little to call | Too little to call |
| Main known cause | Not classified | Farms, pasture and plantations (28%) |
Satellite timelapses
Watch both change, year by year
A clear satellite photo a year of the land around each city. Press play, turn on the forest cleared since the first year, or drag the before and after.
Potosí
2017: satellite photo from May 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
Tarija
2018: satellite photo from September 2018 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
Trees
Which has more trees, Potosí or Tarija?
Tarija has more tree cover: 17.4% of the land within 2 km of its center against 0.3% around Potosí, or about 54,664 trees against 942.
The dark mark is each place's canopy target: 30% of the land, raised where air quality is poor.
| Potosí | Tarija | |
|---|---|---|
| Trees standingEstimated from the canopy area. | 942 | 54.7K (better) |
| Trees still neededTo reach the target. Fewer is better. | 93.3K | 39.6K (better) |
| CO₂ absorbed each yearBy the trees already standing. | 20.7K kg | 1.2M kg (better) |
Tree cover on the satellite image
The same 2 km radius around each center, with the tree cover the satellite found marked on it.
Reading these numbers
How this comparison is made
Air quality index
The US EPA index, computed from current pollutant concentrations: ground stations where a place has them nearby, and the CAMS atmospheric model everywhere else. It moves hour to hour, so it is a snapshot rather than a verdict on either place. The guideline marks are from the WHO's 2021 air quality guidelines.
Trees and forest
Tree cover is the share of ground under canopy within 2 km of each center, read from Sentinel-2 satellite imagery at 10 m detail. It measures that circle, not the whole municipality, which is what makes the two comparable. Forest loss comes from the University of Maryland's Global Forest Change maps.
More on the method on the About Airleaf page.
Frequently asked
Potosí vs Tarija: your questions answered
Is Potosí cleaner than Tarija?
On air quality, yes, right now: Potosí reads AQI 13 against 17, a gap of 4 points on the US EPA index. This is a live reading rather than an annual average, so it can reverse within a day. Over the past 5 days, on modeled daily averages, Potosí averaged AQI 12 against 21, and it was the cleaner of the two on 4 of those days.
Is it safe to exercise outdoors in Potosí and Tarija today?
The advice is the same for both today. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone. Potosí reads AQI 13 and Tarija reads AQI 17.
Which has lost more forest, Potosí or Tarija?
Tarija has lost more: about 10 ha of forest within 10 km of its center from 2001 to 2025, against under 1 ha around Potosí. 5 ha of that was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
Which has more trees, Potosí or Tarija?
Tarija has more tree cover: 17.4% of the land within 2 km of its center against 0.3% around Potosí, or about 54,664 trees against 942. Both figures describe the same-sized circle of ground around each center, not the whole municipality.
How many more trees do Potosí and Tarija need?
Potosí needs about 93,305 more to reach its canopy target of 30%, and Tarija about 39,584 to reach 30%. The target starts at 30% of the land and rises where air quality is poor.
Are Potosí and Tarija measured the same way?
The method is the same: the US EPA index for air, and Sentinel-2 satellite imagery at 10 m detail over an identical radius for trees. Both readings are model estimates, with no ground station close enough to either. Nothing is adjusted for population, city limits or climate.
How often does the Potosí vs Tarija comparison update?
The air readings refresh about once an hour, and each reading's local time is shown at the top of the page. Tree cover comes from the latest clear satellite image of each area (Oct 31, 2026 and Oct 31, 2026), and the forest figures are published yearly.
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