Port-Vila
2 km around Port Vila
Air quality now
AQI 52
52.2%
tree cover
Healthy tree cover
Oceania · air quality report · 1 city
Vanuatu air quality today The AQI right now, city by city
Airleaf measures 1 city in Vanuatu. Port-Vila reads AQI 52 right now.
- cities measured
- 1
- national forest cover
- 74.6%
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Vanuatu
Air quality in Port-Vila right now
Moderate
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Vanuatu lost?
Since 2001, Vanuatu has lost about 15,100 hectares of forest (about 21,000 football pitches): 1.4% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was storms, floods and other natural causes (43%), after which forest can grow back. About 2,200 hectares (15%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 15,100 haabout 21,000 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 1.4%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 2,200 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 | 25 ha | 82 ha | 107 ha |
| 2002 | 41 ha | 49 ha | 90 ha |
| 2003 | 50 ha | 454 ha | 504 ha |
| 2004 | 72 ha | 273 ha | 345 ha |
| 2005 | 40 ha | 180 ha | 220 ha |
| 2006 | 34 ha | 170 ha | 204 ha |
| 2007 | 44 ha | 55 ha | 99 ha |
| 2008 | 63 ha | 99 ha | 162 ha |
| 2009 | 81 ha | 865 ha | 946 ha |
| 2010 | 64 ha | 204 ha | 268 ha |
| 2011 | 52 ha | 535 ha | 586 ha |
| 2012 | 69 ha | 108 ha | 177 ha |
| 2013 | 302 ha | 663 ha | 965 ha |
| 2014 | 147 ha | 419 ha | 566 ha |
| 2015 | 181 ha | 2,680 ha | 2,870 ha |
| 2016 | 238 ha | 1,000 ha | 1,240 ha |
| 2017 | 87 ha | 336 ha | 423 ha |
| 2018 | 33 ha | 313 ha | 345 ha |
| 2019 | 71 ha | 144 ha | 215 ha |
| 2020 | 210 ha | 3,230 ha | 3,440 ha |
| 2021 | 11 ha | 38 ha | 49 ha |
| 2022 | 7 ha | 34 ha | 41 ha |
| 2023 | 142 ha | 554 ha | 696 ha |
| 2024 | 53 ha | 229 ha | 282 ha |
| 2025 | 86 ha | 176 ha | 262 ha |
Forest loss is slowing down: about 266 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 1,130 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2020, when about 3,440 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in Vanuatu?
- Storms, floods and other natural causescan grow back43% · 6,420 ha
- Loggingcan grow back27% · 4,070 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good13% · 2,030 ha
Also: wildfires, shifting farming, towns and roads, 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
Vanuatu as a whole
74.6% of Vanuatu 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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Frequently asked
Air quality in Vanuatu: your questions answered
What is the air quality in Vanuatu today?
Airleaf measures 1 city in Vanuatu. Port-Vila reads AQI 52 right now.
How much forest has Vanuatu lost since 2001?
About 15,100 ha from 2001 to 2025, 1% of the forest it had in 2000, from the University of Maryland's yearly satellite maps of forest loss. 2,200 ha of it was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
How does Airleaf measure air quality in Vanuatu?
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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