City report · Chile
Rancagua Air quality today
Air quality in Rancagua currently reads AQI 39 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Air quality right now
AQI 39
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 8.2
- tree cover
- 7.3%
- trees in this area
- 22.9K
- more trees needed
- 71.3K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Rancagua, O'Higgins, Chile (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Mar 13, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Rancagua · AQI 39 (Good)
Rancagua's tree count comes to 22,934 trees across 12.57 km², 23 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 71,314 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Rancagua today: AQI 39, Good
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 10, 22:00 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
8.2
PM10
8.5
NO₂
14.8
O₃
74.0
SO₂
2.8
CO
500.0
- 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 Rancagua's daily AQI at 40 on average, from 28 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 69 on Nov 10.
Where Rancagua stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Rancagua: Critically low
7.3% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
22,934
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
71,314
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,569 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Rancagua lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Rancagua has lost about 401 hectares of forest (about 560 football pitches): 21% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 153 hectares (38%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from February 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km southeast of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 401 haabout 560 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 21%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 153 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2018, when about 204 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 | 11 ha | 16 ha | 27 ha |
| 2002 | 13 ha | under 1 ha | 14 ha |
| 2003 | 21 ha | under 1 ha | 22 ha |
| 2004 | 10 ha | 3 ha | 13 ha |
| 2005 | 11 ha | 3 ha | 14 ha |
| 2006 | 11 ha | 3 ha | 14 ha |
| 2007 | 18 ha | 2 ha | 20 ha |
| 2008 | 10 ha | 2 ha | 12 ha |
| 2009 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2010 | 11 ha | 2 ha | 13 ha |
| 2011 | 3 ha | 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2012 | 2 ha | 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2013 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2014 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2015 | 9 ha | 1 ha | 10 ha |
| 2016 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2017 | under 1 ha | 4 ha | 4 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | 204 ha | 204 ha |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2022 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 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 | 2 ha | 2 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Rancagua?
- Loggingcan grow back59% · 235 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good30% · 122 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good6.8% · 27 ha
Also: mining and energy, 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
- 943 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 728 ha
- Overall change
- −215 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Rancagua shrank from about 943 hectares to 728 hectares, a net loss of about 215 hectares (−23%). New forest grew on about 58 hectares, but 273 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 Rancagua
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- San Bernardo64.3 km
Chile
- Tree cover
- 7%
- Air quality
- 70
- Maipú72.9 km
Chile
- Tree cover
- 8%
- Air quality
- 70
- Santiago79.6 km
Chile
- Tree cover
- 9%
- Air quality
- 64
- Peñalolén80.2 km
Chile
- Tree cover
- 18%
- Air quality
- 58
- Quilicura89.1 km
Chile
- Tree cover
- 6%
- Air quality
- 62
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Frequently asked
Questions about Rancagua
What is the air quality (AQI) in Rancagua right now?
The latest reading for Rancagua shows an AQI of 39 (Good), observed Nov 10, 22:00 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 Rancagua today?
At AQI 39 (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 Rancagua been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Rancagua's daily AQI at 40 on average, from 28 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 69 on Nov 10. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Rancagua lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Rancagua has lost about 401 hectares of forest (about 560 football pitches): 21% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 153 hectares (38%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Rancagua shrank from about 943 hectares to 728 hectares, a net loss of about 215 hectares (−23%). New forest grew on about 58 hectares, but 273 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Rancagua?
Rancagua has an estimated 22,934 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 7.3% tree cover, 23 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Rancagua need?
Rancagua needs roughly 71,314 more trees to close a 23-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,569 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Rancagua'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 Rancagua; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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