Philippines · Bicol Region · 4 cities
Air quality in Bicol Region today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now, Sorsogon has the cleanest air of the 4 cities we track in Bicol Region (AQI 16, Good), and Naga the worst (AQI 68, Moderate). Sorsogon has the most tree cover, at 67.0% — #5 of 99 cities measured in the Philippines.
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 33
Average right now
Good
- cities tracked
- 4
- average tree cover
- 51.2%
- Philippines: 40.9%
- worst air now: Naga
- 68
- cleanest air now: Sorsogon
- 16
Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf, refreshed hourly.
Bicol Region · average AQI 33
Air quality today across Bicol Region, city by city
| Sorsogon | 16Good | 67.0% | — | #5 of 99 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legaspi | 19Good | 58.0% | — | #16 of 99 |
| Naga | 68Moderate | 18.2% | 36.7K | #94 of 99 |
| Iriga City | 27Good | 61.6% | — | #12 of 99 |
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 the Philippines.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Bicol Region lost?
Since 2001, Bicol Region has lost about 7,970 hectares of forest (about 11,000 football pitches): 5% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (77%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 7,970 haabout 11,000 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 5%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 6,150 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 | 286 ha | 44 ha | 330 ha |
| 2002 | 68 ha | 13 ha | 81 ha |
| 2003 | 138 ha | 25 ha | 163 ha |
| 2004 | 179 ha | 72 ha | 251 ha |
| 2005 | 197 ha | 59 ha | 256 ha |
| 2006 | 1,430 ha | 540 ha | 1,970 ha |
| 2007 | 389 ha | 141 ha | 530 ha |
| 2008 | 100 ha | 23 ha | 123 ha |
| 2009 | 452 ha | 67 ha | 519 ha |
| 2010 | 1,020 ha | 99 ha | 1,120 ha |
| 2011 | 105 ha | 43 ha | 148 ha |
| 2012 | 140 ha | 29 ha | 169 ha |
| 2013 | 33 ha | 22 ha | 55 ha |
| 2014 | 197 ha | 137 ha | 334 ha |
| 2015 | 5 ha | 9 ha | 14 ha |
| 2016 | 36 ha | 24 ha | 60 ha |
| 2017 | 517 ha | 256 ha | 773 ha |
| 2018 | 56 ha | 35 ha | 91 ha |
| 2019 | 68 ha | 20 ha | 88 ha |
| 2020 | 261 ha | 44 ha | 305 ha |
| 2021 | 158 ha | 23 ha | 181 ha |
| 2022 | 69 ha | 19 ha | 88 ha |
| 2023 | 69 ha | 17 ha | 86 ha |
| 2024 | 112 ha | 33 ha | 145 ha |
| 2025 | 74 ha | 26 ha | 100 ha |
Forest loss is slowing down: about 120 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 263 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2006, when about 1,970 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in Bicol Region?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good75% · 6,000 ha
- Shifting farmingcan grow back13% · 1,050 ha
- Loggingcan grow back4.4% · 349 ha
Also: wildfires, storms, floods and other natural causes, towns and roads, mining and energy, 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 the Philippines
Clean-air buying guides
Cleaner air at home in Bicol Region
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