Managua
2 km around Barrio Riguero
Air quality now
AQI 15
17.7%
tree cover
38.6K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
North America · air quality report · 6 cities
Nicaragua air quality today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now the 6 cities Airleaf measures in Nicaragua average AQI 15 (good). The worst air is in Masaya, at AQI 15, and the cleanest in Matagalpa, at AQI 9.
At ground stations alone, which measure rather than estimate, the average is AQI 13 across 3 cities. None of the 6 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 100% have Good air.
Average right now
AQI 15
Good
US EPA index, across 6 cities
- cities measured
- 6
- worst air: Masaya
- 15
- cleanest air: Matagalpa
- 9
- average tree cover
- 30.7%
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Nicaragua · average AQI 15
Air quality right now in all 6 cities in Nicaragua
Good
León
2 km around Barrio El Sagrario
Air quality now
AQI 17
38.9%
tree cover
Healthy tree cover
Chinandega
2 km around El Calvario
Air quality now
AQI 22
37.4%
tree cover
Healthy tree cover
Matagalpa
2 km around Matagalpa
Air quality now
AQI 9
41.7%
tree cover
Healthy tree cover
Estelí
2 km around Esteli
Air quality now
AQI 11
13.0%
tree cover
53.4K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Masaya
2 km around Masaya
Air quality now
AQI 15
35.3%
tree cover
Healthy tree cover
Across the country
How clean is the air across Nicaragua today?
None of the 6 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 100% have Good air. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
6 measured cities
- Good6 (100%)
Every measured city, including model estimates where no ground station is near.
Against everywhere else
How does Nicaragua compare with other countries?
Right now the cities of Nicaragua average cleaner air than 99% of the 171 countries Airleaf has enough cities to average, and more tree cover than 67%.
Cleaner air than…
- Nicaragua
- Beats 99%
More tree cover than…
- Nicaragua
- Beats 67%
See the most polluted and cleanest air rankings for every country.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Nicaragua lost?
Since 2001, Nicaragua has lost about 1.88 million hectares of forest (about 19,000 km²): 26% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (87%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1.88 million haabout 19,000 km²
- Share of its forest
- 26%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 1.64 million 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 | 38,100 ha | 3,270 ha | 41,400 ha |
| 2002 | 49,200 ha | 1,530 ha | 50,700 ha |
| 2003 | 41,000 ha | 1,320 ha | 42,300 ha |
| 2004 | 19,100 ha | 980 ha | 20,100 ha |
| 2005 | 85,900 ha | 2,150 ha | 88,000 ha |
| 2006 | 34,500 ha | 2,250 ha | 36,700 ha |
| 2007 | 80,200 ha | 3,040 ha | 83,300 ha |
| 2008 | 46,000 ha | 2,400 ha | 48,400 ha |
| 2009 | 76,000 ha | 2,210 ha | 78,200 ha |
| 2010 | 191,000 ha | 4,450 ha | 195,000 ha |
| 2011 | 38,300 ha | 2,590 ha | 40,900 ha |
| 2012 | 30,300 ha | 1,160 ha | 31,500 ha |
| 2013 | 40,800 ha | 2,590 ha | 43,400 ha |
| 2014 | 70,500 ha | 3,800 ha | 74,300 ha |
| 2015 | 33,400 ha | 2,070 ha | 35,400 ha |
| 2016 | 130,000 ha | 8,770 ha | 138,000 ha |
| 2017 | 83,100 ha | 28,500 ha | 112,000 ha |
| 2018 | 65,600 ha | 5,030 ha | 70,600 ha |
| 2019 | 70,200 ha | 6,580 ha | 76,800 ha |
| 2020 | 64,000 ha | 46,500 ha | 110,000 ha |
| 2021 | 60,300 ha | 30,800 ha | 91,000 ha |
| 2022 | 43,600 ha | 4,010 ha | 47,600 ha |
| 2023 | 96,100 ha | 19,000 ha | 115,000 ha |
| 2024 | 114,000 ha | 41,300 ha | 155,000 ha |
| 2025 | 42,900 ha | 14,500 ha | 57,400 ha |
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 93,200 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 102,000 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2010, when about 195,000 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in Nicaragua?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good87% · 1.64 million ha
- Wildfirescan grow back5.2% · 98,100 ha
- Shifting farmingcan grow back4.6% · 86,700 ha
Also: storms, floods and other natural causes, logging, towns and roads, mining and energy, 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
Nicaragua as a whole
25.8% of Nicaragua was forested as of 2023, against a 30% benchmark. Closing that gap nationally would take roughly 502.7M trees across 503K hectares. Source: World Bank (FAO).
Build your own
Compare Nicaragua with another country
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Nicaragua
Clean-air buying guides
Cleaner air at home in Nicaragua
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 Nicaragua: your questions answered
What is the air quality in Nicaragua today?
Right now the 6 cities Airleaf measures in Nicaragua average AQI 15 (good). The worst air is in Masaya, at AQI 15, and the cleanest in Matagalpa, at AQI 9. At ground stations alone, which measure rather than estimate, the average is AQI 13 across 3 cities. None of the 6 measured cities is over AQI 100 today, and 100% have Good air.
Which city in Nicaragua has the worst air right now?
Masaya, at AQI 15 (Good) on the US EPA index. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Which city in Nicaragua has the cleanest air right now?
Matagalpa, at AQI 9 (Good). Both lists rank current readings, from ground stations wherever Nicaragua has at least three cities with one.
Is the air in Nicaragua safe to breathe today?
It depends on the city. 6 cities are Good. At the national average of AQI 15: Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
How much forest has Nicaragua lost since 2001?
About 1.88 million ha from 2001 to 2025, 26% of the forest it had in 2000, from the University of Maryland's yearly satellite maps of forest loss. 1.64 million ha of it was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
How does Airleaf measure air quality in Nicaragua?
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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