City report · Peru
Cusco Air quality today
Air quality in Cusco currently reads AQI 4 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
AQI 4
Air quality right now
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 0.7
- tree cover
- 1.9%
- trees in this area
- 6.0K
- more trees needed
- 88.3K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Ttio, Cusco, Peru (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 25, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Cusco · AQI 4 (Good)
Cusco's tree count comes to 5,969 trees across 12.57 km², 28 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 88,279 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Cusco today: AQI 4, Good
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 10, 14:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Model estimate · no ground station nearby
Health signal
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
PM2.5
0.7
PM10
0.7
NO₂
0.8
O₃
69.0
SO₂
0.3
CO
150.0
- Outdoor exercise
- A good day to be active outside
- Windows
- Open them to air the house
- Mask
- Not needed
- Air purifier
- Not needed
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Cusco's daily AQI at 22 on average, from 11 on Nov 9 to an hourly peak of 59 on Nov 4.
Where Cusco stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Cusco: Critically low
1.9% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
5,969
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
88,279
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,942 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Cusco lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Cusco has lost about 101 hectares of forest (about 140 football pitches): 15% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 1 hectare (1.1%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from August 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 101 haabout 140 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 15%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 1 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2014, when about 13 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | 3 ha | 3 ha |
| 2005 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | 6 ha | 7 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | 11 ha | 11 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | 13 ha | 13 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | 5 ha | 5 ha |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 2 ha |
| 2017 | under 1 ha | 9 ha | 9 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 2 ha |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | 3 ha | 3 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 2 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | 10 ha | 10 ha |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | 13 ha | 13 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | 8 ha | 9 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | 7 ha | 7 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Cusco?
- Loggingcan grow back98% · 99 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good1.1% · 1 ha
- Unknown causescause unknown1.3% · 1 ha
Also: farms, pasture and plantations.
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
- 2,040 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 2,530 ha
- Overall change
- +491 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Cusco grew from about 2,040 hectares to 2,530 hectares, a net gain of about 491 hectares (+24%). New forest grew on about 529 hectares, while 38 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 Cusco
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
Build your own
Compare Cusco with anywhere
This place
Cusco
Use this data
Put Cusco's numbers on your site
Free to embed. Updates itself as the measurement refreshes.
Frequently asked
Questions about Cusco
What is the air quality (AQI) in Cusco right now?
The latest reading for Cusco shows an AQI of 4 (Good), observed Nov 10, 14:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Cusco today?
At AQI 4 (Good): a good day to be active outside. Windows: open them to air the house. Masks: not needed. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.
What has the air quality in Cusco been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Cusco's daily AQI at 22 on average, from 11 on Nov 9 to an hourly peak of 59 on Nov 4. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Cusco lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Cusco has lost about 101 hectares of forest (about 140 football pitches): 15% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 1 hectare (1.1%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Cusco grew from about 2,040 hectares to 2,530 hectares, a net gain of about 491 hectares (+24%). New forest grew on about 529 hectares, while 38 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Cusco?
Cusco has an estimated 5,969 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 1.9% tree cover, 28 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Cusco need?
Cusco needs roughly 88,279 more trees to close a 28-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,942 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Cusco'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 Ttio; 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