Spain · Basque Country · 3 cities
Air quality in Basque Country today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now, Bilbao has the cleanest air of the 3 cities we track in Basque Country (AQI 17, Good), and Donostia / San Sebastián the worst (AQI 31, Good). Donostia / San Sebastián has the most tree cover, at 40.0% — #2 of 57 cities measured in Spain.
Every city is measured the same way, over the same 2 km around its center: the air quality right now, from ground stations where there are any, and its tree cover.
AQI 22
Average right now
Good
- cities tracked
- 3
- average tree cover
- 31.0%
- Spain: 14.3%
- worst air now: Donostia / San Sebastián
- 31
- cleanest air now: Bilbao
- 17
Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf, refreshed hourly.
Basque Country · average AQI 22
Air quality today across Basque Country, city by city
| Bilbao | 17Good | 35.8% | — | #3 of 57 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gasteiz / Vitoria | 17Good | 17.3% | 39.9K | #13 of 57 |
| Donostia / San Sebastián | 31Good | 40.0% | — | #2 of 57 |
Air quality is the US AQI from ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ where available, otherwise the Open-Meteo / CAMS model, refreshed hourly. Tree cover is measured within 2 km of each city center from Sentinel-2 imagery; the rank compares every city measured in Spain.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Basque Country lost?
Since 2001, Basque Country has lost about 99,100 hectares of forest (about 140,000 football pitches): 23% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 2,220 hectares (2.2%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 99,100 haabout 140,000 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 23%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 2,220 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 90 ha | 2,570 ha | 2,670 ha |
| 2002 | 68 ha | 1,270 ha | 1,340 ha |
| 2003 | 76 ha | 1,410 ha | 1,480 ha |
| 2004 | 145 ha | 3,080 ha | 3,220 ha |
| 2005 | 96 ha | 2,500 ha | 2,600 ha |
| 2006 | 78 ha | 2,310 ha | 2,390 ha |
| 2007 | 145 ha | 4,320 ha | 4,470 ha |
| 2008 | 126 ha | 2,450 ha | 2,580 ha |
| 2009 | 100 ha | 2,110 ha | 2,210 ha |
| 2010 | 137 ha | 2,520 ha | 2,660 ha |
| 2011 | 132 ha | 1,760 ha | 1,890 ha |
| 2012 | 115 ha | 2,180 ha | 2,290 ha |
| 2013 | 98 ha | 3,310 ha | 3,410 ha |
| 2014 | 66 ha | 3,540 ha | 3,610 ha |
| 2015 | 29 ha | 3,330 ha | 3,360 ha |
| 2016 | 72 ha | 4,250 ha | 4,320 ha |
| 2017 | 64 ha | 4,870 ha | 4,930 ha |
| 2018 | 134 ha | 9,400 ha | 9,530 ha |
| 2019 | 77 ha | 6,460 ha | 6,540 ha |
| 2020 | 61 ha | 7,130 ha | 7,190 ha |
| 2021 | 56 ha | 5,650 ha | 5,710 ha |
| 2022 | 53 ha | 4,940 ha | 4,990 ha |
| 2023 | 44 ha | 4,930 ha | 4,980 ha |
| 2024 | 70 ha | 5,870 ha | 5,940 ha |
| 2025 | 93 ha | 4,680 ha | 4,770 ha |
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 5,280 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 6,500 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2018, when about 9,530 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in Basque Country?
- Loggingcan grow back97% · 96,200 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good1.7% · 1,720 ha
Also: wildfires, farms, pasture and plantations, mining and energy, storms, floods and other natural causes, unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
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. How it's measured
Other regions in Spain
Clean-air buying guides
Cleaner air at home in Basque Country
Picked by tested clean-air delivery rate (CADR), noise and running cost, from independent test labels. No brand pays to be listed.
- The best air purifiers for wildfire smoke and smog
Air purifiers that keep up with wildfire smoke and winter smog, ranked by verified smoke CADR, with the room each one clears on a smoky day.
- The best air purifiers for bedrooms: quiet picks sized for your room
Quiet HEPA air purifiers for bedrooms, compared on what matters at night: noise on the lowest setting (from 20 dB), verified room size and filter cost.
- The best air purifiers under $200
Good HEPA air purifiers under $200 at the makers' own prices, compared on verified clean air, room size and what the filters cost each year.
Your own street