City report · Norte de Santander Department, Colombia
Cúcuta Air quality today
Air quality in Cúcuta currently reads AQI 52 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 52
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 9.8
- tree cover
- 17.4%
- trees in this area
- 54.7K
- more trees needed
- 39.6K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Cúcuta, Cucuta, North Santander, Colombia (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 23, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Cúcuta · AQI 52 (Moderate)
Cúcuta's tree count comes to 54,664 trees across 12.57 km², 13 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 39,584 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Cúcuta today: AQI 52, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 05:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Model estimate · no ground station nearby
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
9.8
PM10
10.2
NO₂
7.8
O₃
39.0
SO₂
1.9
CO
236.0
- Outdoor exercise
- Fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier
- Windows
- Fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution
- Mask
- Not needed for most people
- Air purifier
- Worth running if you are sensitive
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Cúcuta's daily AQI at 51 on average, from 40 on Nov 10 to an hourly peak of 78 on Nov 6.
Where Cúcuta stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Cúcuta: Critically low
17.4% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
54,664
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
39,584
CO₂ if planted / yr
870.8 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Cúcuta lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Cúcuta has lost about 842 hectares of forest (about 1,200 football pitches): 10% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (99%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
2019: satellite photo from February 2019 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 842 haabout 1,200 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 10%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 834 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2012, when about 227 hectares of forest were lost.
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 85 ha | 5 ha | 90 ha |
| 2002 | 28 ha | under 1 ha | 28 ha |
| 2003 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2004 | 17 ha | under 1 ha | 17 ha |
| 2005 | 19 ha | under 1 ha | 19 ha |
| 2006 | 75 ha | under 1 ha | 76 ha |
| 2007 | 52 ha | under 1 ha | 52 ha |
| 2008 | 34 ha | under 1 ha | 34 ha |
| 2009 | 111 ha | under 1 ha | 111 ha |
| 2010 | 26 ha | under 1 ha | 27 ha |
| 2011 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2012 | 225 ha | 2 ha | 227 ha |
| 2013 | 27 ha | under 1 ha | 27 ha |
| 2014 | 34 ha | under 1 ha | 34 ha |
| 2015 | 11 ha | under 1 ha | 11 ha |
| 2016 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2017 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2018 | 9 ha | under 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2019 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2020 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2021 | 6 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2022 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2023 | 12 ha | under 1 ha | 12 ha |
| 2024 | 17 ha | under 1 ha | 17 ha |
| 2025 | 13 ha | under 1 ha | 13 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Cúcuta?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good52% · 439 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good41% · 345 ha
- Mining and energycleared for good6% · 50 ha
Also: wildfires, unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 7,050 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 7,260 ha
- Overall change
- +216 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Cúcuta grew from about 7,050 hectares to 7,260 hectares, a net gain of about 216 hectares (+3.1%). New forest grew on about 602 hectares, while 385 hectares were lost.
These 2000 and 2020 maps, from the University of Maryland, count any land with trees taller than 5 m as forest, including plantations and orchards. Forest that was cut or burned and had grown back by 2020 counts in both years, so the loss here is smaller than the yearly figures.
These figures cover everything within 10 km of the city center, a wider area than the report above, because forest is usually lost at a city's edges.
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. Forest gained and lost 2000–2020: Potapov et al. 2022, UMD GLAD Global Land Cover and Land Use Change, CC BY 4.0. Images: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data. How it's measured
In the same region
Measured cities near Cúcuta
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- San Cristóbal33.6 km
Venezuela
- Tree cover
- 29%
- Air quality
- 24
- Ocaña100.6 km
Colombia
- Tree cover
- 36%
- Air quality
- 52
- Bucaramanga110.2 km
Colombia
- Tree cover
- 21%
- Air quality
- 48
- Piedecuesta118.6 km
Colombia
- Tree cover
- 53%
- Air quality
- 58
- Girón118.7 km
Colombia
- Tree cover
- 44%
- Air quality
- 47
- El Vigía121.9 km
Venezuela
- Tree cover
- 33%
- Air quality
- 43
Build your own
Compare Cúcuta with anywhere
This place
Cúcuta
Use this data
Put Cúcuta's numbers on your site
Free to embed. Updates itself as the measurement refreshes.
Frequently asked
Questions about Cúcuta
What is the air quality (AQI) in Cúcuta right now?
The latest reading for Cúcuta shows an AQI of 52 (Moderate), observed Nov 11, 05:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Cúcuta today?
At AQI 52 (Moderate): fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier. Windows: fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution. Masks: not needed for most people. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.
What has the air quality in Cúcuta been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Cúcuta's daily AQI at 51 on average, from 40 on Nov 10 to an hourly peak of 78 on Nov 6. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Cúcuta lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Cúcuta has lost about 842 hectares of forest (about 1,200 football pitches): 10% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (99%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Cúcuta grew from about 7,050 hectares to 7,260 hectares, a net gain of about 216 hectares (+3.1%). New forest grew on about 602 hectares, while 385 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Cúcuta?
Cúcuta has an estimated 54,664 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 17.4% tree cover, 13 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Cúcuta need?
Cúcuta needs roughly 39,584 more trees to close a 13-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 870.8 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Cúcuta's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality comes from ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ where one reports nearby, and otherwise, as here, from the Open-Meteo / CAMS model, which may differ from street-level monitors. Tree cover is measured from Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search satellite imagery at 10 m detail across a 2 km radius around Cúcuta; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
See your own area
What does your neighborhood look like?
Pick any point and radius to get the same air-quality and tree-cover breakdown.
Check my address