City report · Central Visayas, Philippines
Cebu City Air quality today
Air quality in Cebu City currently reads AQI 18 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
AQI 18
Air quality right now
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 3.3
- tree cover
- 24.9%
- trees in this area
- 78.2K
- more trees needed
- 16.0K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Capitol Site, Cebu City, 6000 Cebu, Philippines (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 12, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Cebu City · AQI 18 (Good)
Cebu City's tree count comes to 78,226 trees across 12.57 km², 5 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 16,022 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Cebu City today: AQI 18, Good
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 12, 00:01 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Lapu-Lapu City, 9.7 km away
Health signal
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
PM2.5
3.3
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · Clarity
- Outdoor exercise
- A good day to be active outside
- Windows
- Open them to air the house
- Mask
- Not needed
- Air purifier
- Not needed
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Cebu City's daily AQI at 22 on average, from 14 on Nov 11 to an hourly peak of 41 on Nov 10.
Where Cebu City stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Cebu City: Below target
24.9% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
78,226
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
16,022
CO₂ if planted / yr
352.5 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Cebu City lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Cebu City has lost about 452 hectares of forest (about 630 football pitches): 5.6% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (91%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2019: satellite photo from April 2019 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 452 haabout 630 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 5.6%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 412 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2009, when about 102 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 | 5 ha | 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2002 | 20 ha | 2 ha | 22 ha |
| 2003 | 5 ha | 2 ha | 6 ha |
| 2004 | 21 ha | 2 ha | 23 ha |
| 2005 | 30 ha | 2 ha | 33 ha |
| 2006 | 15 ha | under 1 ha | 15 ha |
| 2007 | 14 ha | 1 ha | 15 ha |
| 2008 | 11 ha | 2 ha | 13 ha |
| 2009 | 92 ha | 10 ha | 102 ha |
| 2010 | 83 ha | 8 ha | 91 ha |
| 2011 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2012 | 16 ha | 2 ha | 19 ha |
| 2013 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2014 | 10 ha | under 1 ha | 10 ha |
| 2015 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2016 | 12 ha | under 1 ha | 12 ha |
| 2017 | 10 ha | 2 ha | 11 ha |
| 2018 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2019 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2020 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2021 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2022 | 16 ha | 2 ha | 18 ha |
| 2023 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2024 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2025 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Cebu City?
- Towns and roadscleared for good51% · 229 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good40% · 179 ha
- Shifting farmingcan grow back6.8% · 31 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
- 12,900 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 12,800 ha
- Overall change
- −61 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Cebu City stayed about the same size, at about 12,800 hectares: new forest grew on about 182 hectares, and about 244 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 Cebu City
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Naga, Central Visayas18.8 km
Philippines
- Tree cover
- 56%
- Air quality
- 23
- Toledo28.4 km
Philippines
- Tree cover
- 64%
- Air quality
- 19
- Cadiz96.1 km
Philippines
- Tree cover
- 29%
- Air quality
- 53
- Ormoc109.6 km
Philippines
- Tree cover
- 36%
- Air quality
- 29
- Bacolod City110.0 km
Philippines
- Tree cover
- 23%
- Air quality
- 46
- Talisay, Western Visayas111.3 km
Philippines
- Tree cover
- 43%
- Air quality
- 46
Also compared:Cebu City vs ManilaCebu City vs DavaoCebu City vs BudtaCebu City vs Zamboanga
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Frequently asked
Questions about Cebu City
What is the air quality (AQI) in Cebu City right now?
The latest reading for Cebu City shows an AQI of 18 (Good), measured Nov 12, 00:01 local time by the Lapu-Lapu City ground monitoring station, 9.7 km away, via OpenAQ. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Cebu City today?
At AQI 18 (Good): a good day to be active outside. Windows: open them to air the house. Masks: not needed. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.
What has the air quality in Cebu City been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Cebu City's daily AQI at 22 on average, from 14 on Nov 11 to an hourly peak of 41 on Nov 10. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Cebu City lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Cebu City has lost about 452 hectares of forest (about 630 football pitches): 5.6% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (91%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Cebu City stayed about the same size, at about 12,800 hectares: new forest grew on about 182 hectares, and about 244 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Cebu City?
Cebu City has an estimated 78,226 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 24.9% tree cover, 5 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Cebu City need?
Cebu City needs roughly 16,022 more trees to close a 5-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 352.5 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Cebu City's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Capitol Site, 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 Capitol Site; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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