City report · Guatemala
Guatemala City Air quality today
Air quality in Guatemala City currently reads AQI 30 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
AQI 30
Air quality right now
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 5.4
- tree cover
- 17.9%
- trees in this area
- 56.2K
- more trees needed
- 38.0K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Guatemala City Historical District, Guatemala City, Guatemala (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Aug 16, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Guatemala City · AQI 30 (Good)
Guatemala City's tree count comes to 56,235 trees across 12.57 km², 12 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 38,013 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Guatemala City today: AQI 30, Good
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 09:55 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · US_Embassy_Guatemala_City, 3.8 km away
Health signal
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
PM2.5
5.4
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · Clarity
- 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 Guatemala City's daily AQI at 63 on average, from 46 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 151 on Nov 4.
Where Guatemala City stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Guatemala City: Critically low
17.9% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
56,235
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
38,013
CO₂ if planted / yr
836.3 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Guatemala City lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Guatemala City has lost about 1,270 hectares of forest (about 1,800 football pitches): 10% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (99%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from January 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km southeast of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1,270 haabout 1,800 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 10%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 1,260 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2012, when about 137 hectares of forest were lost.
Guatemala City's full deforestation reportHectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 12 ha | under 1 ha | 12 ha |
| 2002 | 30 ha | under 1 ha | 30 ha |
| 2003 | 25 ha | under 1 ha | 25 ha |
| 2004 | 84 ha | under 1 ha | 85 ha |
| 2005 | 33 ha | under 1 ha | 33 ha |
| 2006 | 75 ha | under 1 ha | 75 ha |
| 2007 | 126 ha | 1 ha | 127 ha |
| 2008 | 113 ha | under 1 ha | 113 ha |
| 2009 | 69 ha | under 1 ha | 70 ha |
| 2010 | 67 ha | under 1 ha | 67 ha |
| 2011 | 20 ha | under 1 ha | 20 ha |
| 2012 | 135 ha | 2 ha | 137 ha |
| 2013 | 17 ha | under 1 ha | 17 ha |
| 2014 | 48 ha | 1 ha | 49 ha |
| 2015 | 33 ha | under 1 ha | 33 ha |
| 2016 | 29 ha | under 1 ha | 30 ha |
| 2017 | 43 ha | 2 ha | 45 ha |
| 2018 | 46 ha | under 1 ha | 46 ha |
| 2019 | 33 ha | under 1 ha | 33 ha |
| 2020 | 17 ha | under 1 ha | 17 ha |
| 2021 | 30 ha | under 1 ha | 30 ha |
| 2022 | 40 ha | under 1 ha | 40 ha |
| 2023 | 30 ha | under 1 ha | 30 ha |
| 2024 | 49 ha | under 1 ha | 49 ha |
| 2025 | 55 ha | under 1 ha | 55 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Guatemala City?
- Towns and roadscleared for good76% · 969 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good19% · 244 ha
- Mining and energycleared for good3.6% · 45 ha
Also: logging, 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
- 14,800 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 14,500 ha
- Overall change
- −308 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Guatemala City shrank from about 14,800 hectares to 14,500 hectares, a net loss of about 308 hectares (−2.1%). New forest grew on about 537 hectares, but 845 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 Guatemala City
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Villa Nueva15.0 km
Guatemala
- Tree cover
- 19%
- Air quality
- 30
- San Juan Sacatepéquez16.5 km
Guatemala
- Tree cover
- 69%
- Air quality
- 30
- Escuintla48.0 km
Guatemala
- Tree cover
- 41%
- Air quality
- 70
- Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa64.6 km
Guatemala
- Tree cover
- 54%
- Air quality
- 65
- Chichicastenango72.6 km
Guatemala
- Tree cover
- 75%
- Air quality
- 70
Also compared:Guatemala City vs CobánGuatemala City vs Quetzaltenango
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Frequently asked
Questions about Guatemala City
What is the air quality (AQI) in Guatemala City right now?
The latest reading for Guatemala City shows an AQI of 30 (Good), measured Nov 11, 09:55 local time by the US_Embassy_Guatemala_City ground monitoring station, 3.8 km away, via OpenAQ. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Guatemala City today?
At AQI 30 (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 Guatemala City been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Guatemala City's daily AQI at 63 on average, from 46 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 151 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 Guatemala City lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Guatemala City has lost about 1,270 hectares of forest (about 1,800 football pitches): 10% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (99%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Guatemala City shrank from about 14,800 hectares to 14,500 hectares, a net loss of about 308 hectares (−2.1%). New forest grew on about 537 hectares, but 845 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Guatemala City?
Guatemala City has an estimated 56,235 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 17.9% tree cover, 12 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Guatemala City need?
Guatemala City needs roughly 38,013 more trees to close a 12-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 836.3 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Guatemala City's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Guatemala City Historical District, via OpenAQ; the 7-day trend is the Open-Meteo / CAMS model's estimate. 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 Guatemala City Historical District; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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