City report · Atlántico, Colombia
Barranquilla Air quality today
Air quality in Barranquilla currently reads AQI 53 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 53
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 9.4
- tree cover
- 10.7%
- trees in this area
- 33.3K
- more trees needed
- 60.1K
Measured across a 2 km radius around San Roque, Sur Orient, Barranquilla, Atlántico, Colombia (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 17, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Barranquilla · AQI 53 (Moderate)
Barranquilla's tree count comes to 33,313 trees across 12.46 km² of land, 19 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 60,087 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Barranquilla today: AQI 53, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 10, 15:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Model estimate · no ground station nearby
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
9.4
PM10
10.7
NO₂
3.6
O₃
114.0
SO₂
1.8
CO
241.0
- 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
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Barranquilla's daily AQI at 45 on average, from 31 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 73 on Nov 6.
Where Barranquilla stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Barranquilla: Critically low
10.7% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.46 km² of land.
Trees in this area
33,313
Target trees
93,400
More trees needed
60,087
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,322 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Barranquilla lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Barranquilla has lost about 403 hectares of forest (about 560 football pitches): 10% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (77%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from February 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km northwest of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 403 haabout 560 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 10%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 312 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2008, when about 58 hectares of forest were lost.
Barranquilla's full deforestation reportHectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2002 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2003 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2004 | 32 ha | under 1 ha | 32 ha |
| 2005 | 17 ha | under 1 ha | 17 ha |
| 2006 | 15 ha | under 1 ha | 16 ha |
| 2007 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2008 | 56 ha | 2 ha | 58 ha |
| 2009 | 32 ha | under 1 ha | 32 ha |
| 2010 | 7 ha | under 1 ha | 7 ha |
| 2011 | 25 ha | under 1 ha | 26 ha |
| 2012 | 23 ha | under 1 ha | 24 ha |
| 2013 | 3 ha | 7 ha | 10 ha |
| 2014 | 4 ha | 9 ha | 13 ha |
| 2015 | 1 ha | 10 ha | 11 ha |
| 2016 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2017 | 17 ha | 32 ha | 49 ha |
| 2018 | 10 ha | under 1 ha | 11 ha |
| 2019 | 9 ha | under 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | 16 ha | 17 ha |
| 2021 | 3 ha | 4 ha | 7 ha |
| 2022 | 25 ha | under 1 ha | 26 ha |
| 2023 | 14 ha | 2 ha | 16 ha |
| 2024 | 3 ha | 4 ha | 7 ha |
| 2025 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Barranquilla?
- Towns and roadscleared for good64% · 256 ha
- Storms, floods and other natural causescan grow back22% · 88 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good13% · 53 ha
Also: mining and energy, 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
- 3,730 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 3,470 ha
- Overall change
- −260 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Barranquilla shrank from about 3,730 hectares to 3,470 hectares, a net loss of about 260 hectares (−7%). New forest grew on about 138 hectares, but 398 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
In the same region
Measured cities near Barranquilla
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Malambo12.1 km
Colombia
- Tree cover
- 42%
- Air quality
- 51
- Sabanalarga40.6 km
Colombia
- Tree cover
- 48%
- Air quality
- 55
- Valledupar176.1 km
Colombia
- Tree cover
- 20%
- Air quality
- 22
- Magangué192.0 km
Colombia
- Tree cover
- 39%
- Air quality
- 34
Also compared:Barranquilla vs BogotáBarranquilla vs CaliBarranquilla vs Medellín
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Frequently asked
Questions about Barranquilla
What is the air quality (AQI) in Barranquilla right now?
The latest reading for Barranquilla shows an AQI of 53 (Moderate), observed Nov 10, 15:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Barranquilla today?
At AQI 53 (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.
What has the air quality in Barranquilla been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Barranquilla's daily AQI at 45 on average, from 31 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 73 on Nov 6. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Barranquilla lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Barranquilla has lost about 403 hectares of forest (about 560 football pitches): 10% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (77%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Barranquilla shrank from about 3,730 hectares to 3,470 hectares, a net loss of about 260 hectares (−7%). New forest grew on about 138 hectares, but 398 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Barranquilla?
Barranquilla has an estimated 33,313 trees across the 12.46 km² of land measured — 10.7% tree cover, 19 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Barranquilla need?
Barranquilla needs roughly 60,087 more trees to close a 19-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,322 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Barranquilla's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality comes from ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ where one reports nearby, and otherwise, as here, from the Open-Meteo / CAMS model, which may differ from street-level monitors. 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 San Roque; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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