City report · Antioquia, Colombia
Medellín Air quality today
Air quality in Medellín currently reads AQI 59 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 59
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 13.6
- tree cover
- 19.8%
- trees in this area
- 62.2K
- more trees needed
- 32.0K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Guayaquil, La Candelaria, Medellín, La Candelaria, Medellin, Antioquia, Colombia (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 9, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Medellín · AQI 59 (Moderate)
Medellín's tree count comes to 62,204 trees across 12.57 km², 10 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 32,044 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Medellín today: AQI 59, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 10:00 local time via World Air Quality Index Project ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Villahermosa, Medellín, Colombia, 3 km away · median of 4 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
13.6
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: World Air Quality Index Project, Área Metropolitana del Valle de Aburrá
- 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 Medellín's daily AQI at 43 on average, from 29 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 73 on Nov 4.
Where Medellín stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Medellín: Below target
19.8% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
62,204
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
32,044
CO₂ if planted / yr
705.0 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Medellín lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Medellín has lost about 1,370 hectares of forest (about 1,900 football pitches): 9% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (81%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from September 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 6 km southeast of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1,370 haabout 1,900 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 9%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 1,120 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2006, when about 160 hectares of forest were lost.
Medellín's full deforestation reportHectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 89 ha | 18 ha | 107 ha |
| 2002 | 38 ha | 3 ha | 41 ha |
| 2003 | 24 ha | under 1 ha | 24 ha |
| 2004 | 89 ha | 17 ha | 106 ha |
| 2005 | 93 ha | 16 ha | 109 ha |
| 2006 | 121 ha | 39 ha | 160 ha |
| 2007 | 101 ha | 27 ha | 128 ha |
| 2008 | 46 ha | 15 ha | 62 ha |
| 2009 | 102 ha | 13 ha | 115 ha |
| 2010 | 38 ha | 5 ha | 43 ha |
| 2011 | 45 ha | 3 ha | 47 ha |
| 2012 | 52 ha | 4 ha | 56 ha |
| 2013 | 20 ha | 2 ha | 22 ha |
| 2014 | 28 ha | 12 ha | 40 ha |
| 2015 | 17 ha | 4 ha | 21 ha |
| 2016 | 33 ha | 20 ha | 53 ha |
| 2017 | 56 ha | 7 ha | 63 ha |
| 2018 | 23 ha | 4 ha | 27 ha |
| 2019 | 9 ha | 4 ha | 13 ha |
| 2020 | 8 ha | 12 ha | 20 ha |
| 2021 | 19 ha | 2 ha | 21 ha |
| 2022 | 5 ha | 2 ha | 7 ha |
| 2023 | 22 ha | 3 ha | 25 ha |
| 2024 | 29 ha | 23 ha | 51 ha |
| 2025 | 11 ha | 1 ha | 12 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Medellín?
- Towns and roadscleared for good47% · 638 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good35% · 479 ha
- Loggingcan grow back18% · 246 ha
Also: 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
- 18,100 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 17,800 ha
- Overall change
- −350 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Medellín stayed about the same size, at about 17,800 hectares: new forest grew on about 188 hectares, and about 539 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 Medellín
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Rionegro24.0 km
Colombia
- Tree cover
- 28%
- Air quality
- 58
- Manizales131.2 km
Colombia
- Tree cover
- 35%
- Air quality
- 86
- Quibdó135.0 km
Colombia
- Tree cover
- 51%
- Air quality
- 32
- Pereira159.7 km
Colombia
- Tree cover
- 22%
- Air quality
- 94
- Cartago171.0 km
Colombia
- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 41
- Armenia190.3 km
Colombia
- Tree cover
- 45%
- Air quality
- 66
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Frequently asked
Questions about Medellín
What is the air quality (AQI) in Medellín right now?
The latest reading for Medellín shows an AQI of 59 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 10:00 local time by 4 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Villahermosa, Medellín, Colombia, 3 km away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Medellín today?
At AQI 59 (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 Medellín been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Medellín's daily AQI at 43 on average, from 29 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 73 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 Medellín lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Medellín has lost about 1,370 hectares of forest (about 1,900 football pitches): 9% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (81%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Medellín stayed about the same size, at about 17,800 hectares: new forest grew on about 188 hectares, and about 539 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Medellín?
Medellín has an estimated 62,204 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 19.8% tree cover, 10 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Medellín need?
Medellín needs roughly 32,044 more trees to close a 10-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 705.0 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Medellín's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Guayaquil, 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 Guayaquil; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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