City report · National Capital Region, Philippines
Manila Air quality today
Air quality in Manila currently reads AQI 54 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 54
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 10.9
- tree cover
- 10.0%
- trees in this area
- 30.1K
- more trees needed
- 60.2K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Barangay 310, Santa Cruz, Manila, 1008 Metro Manila, Philippines (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 13, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Manila · AQI 54 (Moderate)
Manila's tree count comes to 30,096 trees across 12.04 km² of land, 20 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 60,193 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Manila today: AQI 54, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 12, 00:05 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · San Sebastian Residences, 1 km away · median of 33 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
10.9
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, Clarity, EarthLab, EGT, DLSU, CS
- 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 Manila's daily AQI at 43 on average, from 31 on Nov 9 to an hourly peak of 62 on Nov 6.
Where Manila stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Manila: Critically low
10.0% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.04 km² of land.
Trees in this area
30,096
Target trees
90,289
More trees needed
60,193
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,324 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Manila lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Manila has lost about 7 hectares of forest (about 10 football pitches): 3.4% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (62%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from May 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 7 haabout 10 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 3.4%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 4 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2019, when about 2 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2005 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2017 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2019 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Manila?
- Towns and roadscleared for good65% · 5 ha
- Unknown causescause unknown39% · 3 ha
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
- 1,080 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 1,170 ha
- Overall change
- +90 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Manila grew from about 1,080 hectares to 1,170 hectares, a net gain of about 90 hectares (+8.3%). New forest grew on about 144 hectares, while 54 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 Manila
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Taguig13.7 km
Philippines
- Tree cover
- 32%
- Air quality
- 52
- Paranaque City14.2 km
Philippines
- Tree cover
- 20%
- Air quality
- 39
- Antipolo15.3 km
Philippines
- Tree cover
- 26%
- Air quality
- 54
- San Mateo18.5 km
Philippines
- Tree cover
- 35%
- Air quality
- 68
- Rodriguez19.1 km
Philippines
- Tree cover
- 55%
- Air quality
- 68
- Imus20.0 km
Philippines
- Tree cover
- 33%
- Air quality
- 53
Also compared:Manila vs DavaoManila vs BudtaManila vs ZamboangaManila vs Cebu City
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Frequently asked
Questions about Manila
What is the air quality (AQI) in Manila right now?
The latest reading for Manila shows an AQI of 54 (Moderate), measured Nov 12, 00:05 local time by 33 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is San Sebastian Residences, 1 km away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Manila today?
At AQI 54 (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 Manila been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Manila's daily AQI at 43 on average, from 31 on Nov 9 to an hourly peak of 62 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 Manila lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Manila has lost about 7 hectares of forest (about 10 football pitches): 3.4% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (62%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Manila grew from about 1,080 hectares to 1,170 hectares, a net gain of about 90 hectares (+8.3%). New forest grew on about 144 hectares, while 54 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Manila?
Manila has an estimated 30,096 trees across the 12.04 km² of land measured — 10.0% tree cover, 20 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Manila need?
Manila needs roughly 60,193 more trees to close a 20-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,324 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Manila's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Barangay 310, 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 Barangay 310; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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