Kingston
2 km around Kencot
Air quality now
AQI 52
14.5%
tree cover
48.7K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
North America · air quality report · 6 cities
Jamaica air quality today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now the 6 cities Airleaf measures in Jamaica average AQI 44 (good). The worst air is in May Pen, at AQI 53, and the cleanest in Spanish Town, at AQI 26.
None of the 6 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 50% have Good air.
Average right now
AQI 44
Good
US EPA index, across 6 cities
- cities measured
- 6
- worst air: May Pen
- 53
- cleanest air: Spanish Town
- 26
- average tree cover
- 41.3%
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Jamaica · average AQI 44
Air quality right now in all 6 cities in Jamaica
Moderate
Montego Bay
2 km around Montego Bay
Air quality now
AQI 42
44.0%
tree cover
Healthy tree cover
Mandeville
2 km around Mandeville
Air quality now
AQI 53
45.0%
tree cover
Healthy tree cover
May Pen
2 km around May Pen
Air quality now
AQI 53
46.9%
tree cover
Healthy tree cover
Ocho Rios
2 km around Ocho Rios
Air quality now
AQI 41
60.2%
tree cover
Healthy tree cover
Spanish Town
2 km around Spanish Town
Air quality now
AQI 26
36.9%
tree cover
Healthy tree cover
Across the country
How clean is the air across Jamaica today?
None of the 6 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 50% have Good air. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
6 measured cities
- Good3 (50%)
- Moderate3 (50%)
Every measured city, including model estimates where no ground station is near.
Against everywhere else
How does Jamaica compare with other countries?
Right now the cities of Jamaica average cleaner air than 64% of the 171 countries Airleaf has enough cities to average, and more tree cover than 91%.
Cleaner air than…
- Jamaica
- Beats 64%
More tree cover than…
- Jamaica
- Beats 91%
See the most polluted and cleanest air rankings for every country.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Jamaica lost?
Since 2001, Jamaica has lost about 76,900 hectares of forest (about 110,000 football pitches): 10% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (70%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 76,900 haabout 110,000 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 10%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 54,200 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 | 1,050 ha | 179 ha | 1,230 ha |
| 2002 | 1,390 ha | 221 ha | 1,610 ha |
| 2003 | 897 ha | 123 ha | 1,020 ha |
| 2004 | 3,020 ha | 831 ha | 3,850 ha |
| 2005 | 5,050 ha | 2,520 ha | 7,570 ha |
| 2006 | 2,380 ha | 384 ha | 2,760 ha |
| 2007 | 1,080 ha | 158 ha | 1,240 ha |
| 2008 | 1,600 ha | 368 ha | 1,970 ha |
| 2009 | 3,040 ha | 451 ha | 3,490 ha |
| 2010 | 2,080 ha | 274 ha | 2,350 ha |
| 2011 | 1,930 ha | 402 ha | 2,330 ha |
| 2012 | 2,130 ha | 433 ha | 2,560 ha |
| 2013 | 1,080 ha | 209 ha | 1,290 ha |
| 2014 | 2,130 ha | 656 ha | 2,780 ha |
| 2015 | 2,390 ha | 489 ha | 2,880 ha |
| 2016 | 1,190 ha | 681 ha | 1,870 ha |
| 2017 | 1,790 ha | 384 ha | 2,170 ha |
| 2018 | 1,790 ha | 369 ha | 2,160 ha |
| 2019 | 1,790 ha | 442 ha | 2,240 ha |
| 2020 | 1,540 ha | 589 ha | 2,130 ha |
| 2021 | 1,250 ha | 199 ha | 1,450 ha |
| 2022 | 966 ha | 149 ha | 1,120 ha |
| 2023 | 1,570 ha | 375 ha | 1,950 ha |
| 2024 | 1,420 ha | 355 ha | 1,770 ha |
| 2025 | 9,620 ha | 11,500 ha | 21,100 ha |
Forest loss is speeding up: about 5,480 hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 2,110 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2025, when about 21,100 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in Jamaica?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good53% · 41,000 ha
- Shifting farmingcan grow back15% · 11,600 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good13% · 10,200 ha
Also: storms, floods and other natural causes, mining and energy, wildfires, logging, 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
Jamaica as a whole
56.5% of Jamaica 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 Jamaica with another country
This place
Jamaica
Clean-air buying guides
Cleaner air at home in Jamaica
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 Jamaica: your questions answered
What is the air quality in Jamaica today?
Right now the 6 cities Airleaf measures in Jamaica average AQI 44 (good). The worst air is in May Pen, at AQI 53, and the cleanest in Spanish Town, at AQI 26. None of the 6 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 50% have Good air.
Which city in Jamaica has the worst air right now?
May Pen, at AQI 53 (Moderate) on the US EPA index. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Which city in Jamaica has the cleanest air right now?
Spanish Town, at AQI 26 (Good). Both lists rank current readings, from ground stations wherever Jamaica has at least three cities with one.
Is the air in Jamaica safe to breathe today?
It depends on the city. 3 cities are Good, 3 cities are Moderate. At the national average of AQI 44: Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
How much forest has Jamaica lost since 2001?
About 76,900 ha from 2001 to 2025, 10% of the forest it had in 2000, from the University of Maryland's yearly satellite maps of forest loss. 54,200 ha of it was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
How does Airleaf measure air quality in Jamaica?
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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