Nassau
2 km around Nassau
Air quality now
AQI 41
34.5%
tree cover
Healthy tree cover
North America · air quality report · 2 cities
Bahamas air quality today The AQI right now, city by city
Airleaf measures 2 cities in the Bahamas. Nassau reads AQI 41, Lucaya reads AQI 31 right now.
- cities measured
- 2
- worst air: Nassau
- 41
- cleanest air: Lucaya
- 31
- national forest cover
- 50.9%
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Bahamas
Air quality right now in all 2 cities in the Bahamas
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has the Bahamas lost?
Since 2001, the Bahamas has lost about 35,300 hectares of forest (about 49,000 football pitches): 13% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was storms, floods and other natural causes (47%), after which forest can grow back. About 5,780 hectares (16%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 35,300 haabout 49,000 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 13%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 5,780 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 186 ha | 212 ha | 398 ha |
| 2002 | 232 ha | 367 ha | 599 ha |
| 2003 | 132 ha | 109 ha | 241 ha |
| 2004 | 232 ha | 262 ha | 494 ha |
| 2005 | 358 ha | 1,030 ha | 1,390 ha |
| 2006 | 418 ha | 501 ha | 919 ha |
| 2007 | 252 ha | 299 ha | 551 ha |
| 2008 | 335 ha | 1,360 ha | 1,690 ha |
| 2009 | 309 ha | 439 ha | 748 ha |
| 2010 | 163 ha | 161 ha | 324 ha |
| 2011 | 81 ha | 526 ha | 607 ha |
| 2012 | 81 ha | 264 ha | 345 ha |
| 2013 | 127 ha | 1,320 ha | 1,450 ha |
| 2014 | 126 ha | 704 ha | 830 ha |
| 2015 | 80 ha | 994 ha | 1,070 ha |
| 2016 | 255 ha | 2,800 ha | 3,060 ha |
| 2017 | 669 ha | 2,560 ha | 3,230 ha |
| 2018 | 139 ha | 722 ha | 861 ha |
| 2019 | 228 ha | 992 ha | 1,220 ha |
| 2020 | 464 ha | 1,800 ha | 2,260 ha |
| 2021 | 159 ha | 1,350 ha | 1,510 ha |
| 2022 | 137 ha | 412 ha | 549 ha |
| 2023 | 121 ha | 1,040 ha | 1,160 ha |
| 2024 | 167 ha | 1,750 ha | 1,910 ha |
| 2025 | 324 ha | 7,510 ha | 7,840 ha |
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 2,590 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 2,130 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2025, when about 7,840 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in the Bahamas?
- Storms, floods and other natural causescan grow back47% · 16,600 ha
- Wildfirescan grow back30% · 10,400 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good7.8% · 2,770 ha
Also: farms, pasture and plantations, mining and energy, logging, shifting farming, unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
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. How it's measured
Bahamas as a whole
50.9% of the Bahamas was forested as of 2024, against a 30% benchmark. That already clears the benchmark — the city reports above show where cover is still thin locally. Source: World Bank (FAO).
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Clean-air buying guides
Cleaner air at home in the Bahamas
Picked by tested clean-air delivery rate (CADR), noise and running cost, from independent test labels. No brand pays to be listed.
- The best air purifiers for wildfire smoke and smog
Air purifiers that keep up with wildfire smoke and winter smog, ranked by verified smoke CADR, with the room each one clears on a smoky day.
- The best air purifiers under $200
Good HEPA air purifiers under $200 at the makers' own prices, compared on verified clean air, room size and what the filters cost each year.
- NIOSH-approved N95 masks for smoke and smog
NIOSH-approved N95 masks and P100 respirators for smog and smoke, and how to get the fit right. Cloth and surgical masks do little against PM2.5.
Frequently asked
Air quality in the Bahamas: your questions answered
What is the air quality in the Bahamas today?
Airleaf measures 2 cities in the Bahamas. Nassau reads AQI 41, Lucaya reads AQI 31 right now.
How much forest has the Bahamas lost since 2001?
About 35,300 ha from 2001 to 2025, 13% of the forest it had in 2000, from the University of Maryland's yearly satellite maps of forest loss. 5,780 ha of it was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
How does Airleaf measure air quality in the Bahamas?
Each city's reading is the US EPA air quality index, from ground monitoring stations where one has reported recently nearby, and from the CAMS atmospheric model elsewhere; each city's report says which. Tree cover is measured over the same 2 km radius in every city, so the cities compare like for like.
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