City report · Valle del Cauca Department, Colombia
Cali Air quality today
Air quality in Cali currently reads AQI 83 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 83
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 26.1
- tree cover
- 6.5%
- trees in this area
- 20.4K
- more trees needed
- 73.8K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Agua Blanca, Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 19, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Cali · AQI 83 (Moderate)
Cali's tree count comes to 20,420 trees across 12.57 km², 24 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 73,827 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Cali today: AQI 83, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 11:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · colegio Bolivar, 10.4 km away
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
26.1
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, Juan Carlos
- 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 Cali's daily AQI at 23 on average, from 14 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 52 on Nov 7.
Where Cali stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Cali: Critically low
6.5% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
20,420
Target trees
94,247
More trees needed
73,827
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,624 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Cali lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Cali has lost about 220 hectares of forest (about 310 football pitches): 4.3% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (93%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
2017: satellite photo from August 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 220 haabout 310 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 4.3%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 205 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2001, when about 62 hectares of forest were lost.
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 58 ha | 4 ha | 62 ha |
| 2002 | 11 ha | 2 ha | 13 ha |
| 2003 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2004 | 26 ha | 2 ha | 28 ha |
| 2005 | 7 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2006 | 10 ha | 1 ha | 12 ha |
| 2007 | 7 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2008 | 15 ha | 2 ha | 17 ha |
| 2009 | 21 ha | 1 ha | 22 ha |
| 2010 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2011 | 15 ha | under 1 ha | 16 ha |
| 2012 | 14 ha | under 1 ha | 15 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2014 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2016 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2017 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Cali?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good56% · 124 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good36% · 80 ha
- Unknown causescause unknown7.1% · 16 ha
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
- 6,470 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 6,440 ha
- Overall change
- −39 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Cali stayed about the same size, at about 6,440 hectares: new forest grew on about 93 hectares, and about 133 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 Cali
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Palmira27.3 km
Colombia
- Tree cover
- 19%
- Air quality
- 33
- Guadalajara de Buga57.8 km
Colombia
- Tree cover
- 28%
- Air quality
- 21
- Buenaventura75.0 km
Colombia
- Tree cover
- 50%
- Air quality
- 18
- Tuluá81.2 km
Colombia
- Tree cover
- 18%
- Air quality
- 23
- Popayán110.8 km
Colombia
- Tree cover
- 20%
- Air quality
- 32
- Neiva148.5 km
Colombia
- Tree cover
- 29%
- Air quality
- 55
Also compared:Cali vs BogotáCali vs MedellínCali vs BarranquillaCali vs Cartagena
Build your own
Compare Cali with anywhere
This place
Cali
Use this data
Put Cali's numbers on your site
Free to embed. Updates itself as the measurement refreshes.
Frequently asked
Questions about Cali
What is the air quality (AQI) in Cali right now?
The latest reading for Cali shows an AQI of 83 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 11:00 local time by the colegio Bolivar ground monitoring station, 10.4 km away, via OpenAQ. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Cali today?
At AQI 83 (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 Cali been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Cali's daily AQI at 23 on average, from 14 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 52 on Nov 7. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Cali lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Cali has lost about 220 hectares of forest (about 310 football pitches): 4.3% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (93%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Cali stayed about the same size, at about 6,440 hectares: new forest grew on about 93 hectares, and about 133 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Cali?
Cali has an estimated 20,420 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 6.5% tree cover, 24 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Cali need?
Cali needs roughly 73,827 more trees to close a 24-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,624 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Cali's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Agua Blanca, via OpenAQ; the 7-day trend is the Open-Meteo / CAMS model's estimate. 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 Agua Blanca; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
See your own area
What does your neighborhood look like?
Pick any point and radius to get the same air-quality and tree-cover breakdown.
Check my address