Athens
2 km around Athens
Air quality now
AQI 53
16.2%
tree cover
43.4K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Europe · air quality report · 6 cities
Greece air quality today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now the 6 cities Airleaf measures in Greece average AQI 60 (moderate). The worst air is in Thessaloníki, at AQI 99, and the cleanest in Irákleion, at AQI 44.
At ground stations alone, which measure rather than estimate, the average is AQI 64 across 5 cities. None of the 6 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 33% have Good air.
Average right now
AQI 60
Moderate
US EPA index, across 6 cities
- cities measured
- 6
- worst air: Thessaloníki
- 99
- cleanest air: Irákleion
- 44
- average tree cover
- 10.1%
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Greece · average AQI 60
Air quality right now in all 6 cities in Greece
Moderate
Thessaloníki
2 km around Thessaloniki
Air quality now
AQI 99
7.3%
tree cover
54.6K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Pátra
2 km around Patras
Air quality now
AQI 40
16.3%
tree cover
27.4K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Lárisa
2 km around Larissa
Air quality now
AQI 69
8.0%
tree cover
69.1K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Irákleion
2 km around Heraklion
Air quality now
AQI 44
8.6%
tree cover
64.7K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Piraeus
2 km around Piraeus
Air quality now
AQI 54
4.0%
tree cover
61.6K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Across the country
How clean is the air across Greece today?
None of the 6 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 33% have Good air. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
6 measured cities
- Good2 (33%)
- Moderate4 (67%)
Every measured city, including model estimates where no ground station is near.
Against everywhere else
How does Greece compare with other countries?
Right now the cities of Greece average cleaner air than 38% of the 171 countries Airleaf has enough cities to average, and more tree cover than 19%.
Cleaner air than…
- Greece
- Beats 38%
More tree cover than…
- Greece
- Beats 19%
See the most polluted and cleanest air rankings for every country.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Greece lost?
Since 2001, Greece has lost about 313,000 hectares of forest (about 3,100 km²): 8.6% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to wildfires, so much of it can grow back. About 26,300 hectares (8.4%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 313,000 haabout 3,100 km²
- Share of its forest
- 8.6%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 26,300 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 | 1,320 ha | 11,200 ha | 12,600 ha |
| 2002 | 1,070 ha | 3,960 ha | 5,040 ha |
| 2003 | 674 ha | 1,870 ha | 2,540 ha |
| 2004 | 2,250 ha | 4,380 ha | 6,640 ha |
| 2005 | 1,060 ha | 3,010 ha | 4,070 ha |
| 2006 | 1,390 ha | 5,720 ha | 7,120 ha |
| 2007 | 1,860 ha | 43,900 ha | 45,800 ha |
| 2008 | 1,690 ha | 19,300 ha | 21,000 ha |
| 2009 | 1,150 ha | 5,290 ha | 6,440 ha |
| 2010 | 1,380 ha | 6,140 ha | 7,530 ha |
| 2011 | 1,220 ha | 4,910 ha | 6,130 ha |
| 2012 | 905 ha | 12,000 ha | 12,900 ha |
| 2013 | 387 ha | 5,400 ha | 5,790 ha |
| 2014 | 625 ha | 3,140 ha | 3,760 ha |
| 2015 | 541 ha | 3,270 ha | 3,810 ha |
| 2016 | 620 ha | 5,330 ha | 5,950 ha |
| 2017 | 791 ha | 8,070 ha | 8,860 ha |
| 2018 | 853 ha | 6,200 ha | 7,060 ha |
| 2019 | 941 ha | 6,570 ha | 7,510 ha |
| 2020 | 782 ha | 4,660 ha | 5,440 ha |
| 2021 | 832 ha | 47,900 ha | 48,700 ha |
| 2022 | 588 ha | 9,070 ha | 9,660 ha |
| 2023 | 938 ha | 44,900 ha | 45,800 ha |
| 2024 | 932 ha | 11,500 ha | 12,400 ha |
| 2025 | 1,450 ha | 8,750 ha | 10,200 ha |
Forest loss is speeding up: about 25,400 hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 6,960 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2021, when about 48,700 hectares of forest were lost, mostly to wildfires.
What is causing deforestation in Greece?
- Wildfirescan grow back74% · 230,000 ha
- Loggingcan grow back15% · 47,900 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good4% · 12,400 ha
Also: farms, pasture and plantations, mining and energy, storms, floods and other natural causes, 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
Greece as a whole
36.9% of Greece 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).
Build your own
Compare Greece with another country
This place
Greece
Clean-air buying guides
Cleaner air at home in Greece
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 Greece: your questions answered
What is the air quality in Greece today?
Right now the 6 cities Airleaf measures in Greece average AQI 60 (moderate). The worst air is in Thessaloníki, at AQI 99, and the cleanest in Irákleion, at AQI 44. At ground stations alone, which measure rather than estimate, the average is AQI 64 across 5 cities. None of the 6 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 33% have Good air.
Which city in Greece has the worst air right now?
Thessaloníki, at AQI 99 (Moderate) on the US EPA index. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Which city in Greece has the cleanest air right now?
Irákleion, at AQI 44 (Good). Both lists rank current readings, from ground stations wherever Greece has at least three cities with one.
Is the air in Greece safe to breathe today?
It depends on the city. 2 cities are Good, 4 cities are Moderate. At the national average of AQI 60: Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
How much forest has Greece lost since 2001?
About 313,000 ha from 2001 to 2025, 9% of the forest it had in 2000, from the University of Maryland's yearly satellite maps of forest loss. 26,300 ha of it was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
How does Airleaf measure air quality in Greece?
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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