Russia · Irkutsk Oblast · 4 cities
Air quality in Irkutsk Oblast today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now, Ust’-Ilimsk has the cleanest air of the 4 cities we track in Irkutsk Oblast (AQI 1, Good), and Irkutsk the worst (AQI 10, Good). Ust’-Ilimsk has the most tree cover, at 57.9% — #6 of 168 cities measured in Russia.
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.
Average right now
AQI 6
Good
- cities tracked
- 4
- average tree cover
- 41.2%
- Russia: 34.1%
- worst air now: Irkutsk
- 10
- cleanest air now: Ust’-Ilimsk
- 1
Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf, refreshed hourly.
Irkutsk Oblast · average AQI 6
Air quality today across Irkutsk Oblast, city by city
| Irkutsk | 10Good | 27.1% | 7.5K | #128 of 168 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bratsk | 2Good | 46.5% | — | #23 of 168 |
| Angarsk | 9Good | 33.3% | — | #81 of 168 |
| Ust’-Ilimsk | 1Good | 57.9% | — | #6 of 168 |
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 Russia.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Irkutsk Oblast lost?
Since 2001, Irkutsk Oblast has lost about 10.3 million hectares of forest (about 100,000 km²): 17% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to wildfires, so much of it can grow back. About 91,100 hectares (under 1%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 10.3 million haabout 100,000 km²
- Share of its forest
- 17%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 91,100 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 | 1,060 ha | 147,000 ha | 148,000 ha |
| 2002 | 874 ha | 164,000 ha | 165,000 ha |
| 2003 | 436 ha | 383,000 ha | 383,000 ha |
| 2004 | 998 ha | 463,000 ha | 464,000 ha |
| 2005 | 1,150 ha | 216,000 ha | 217,000 ha |
| 2006 | 1,740 ha | 326,000 ha | 328,000 ha |
| 2007 | 3,720 ha | 605,000 ha | 609,000 ha |
| 2008 | 1,990 ha | 267,000 ha | 269,000 ha |
| 2009 | 1,480 ha | 188,000 ha | 190,000 ha |
| 2010 | 2,140 ha | 224,000 ha | 226,000 ha |
| 2011 | 1,230 ha | 177,000 ha | 178,000 ha |
| 2012 | 2,740 ha | 371,000 ha | 374,000 ha |
| 2013 | 1,920 ha | 194,000 ha | 196,000 ha |
| 2014 | 4,150 ha | 697,000 ha | 701,000 ha |
| 2015 | 4,340 ha | 333,000 ha | 337,000 ha |
| 2016 | 5,930 ha | 823,000 ha | 829,000 ha |
| 2017 | 6,720 ha | 1.15 million ha | 1.16 million ha |
| 2018 | 6,730 ha | 623,000 ha | 630,000 ha |
| 2019 | 6,390 ha | 533,000 ha | 539,000 ha |
| 2020 | 6,380 ha | 813,000 ha | 819,000 ha |
| 2021 | 6,500 ha | 489,000 ha | 496,000 ha |
| 2022 | 7,560 ha | 357,000 ha | 364,000 ha |
| 2023 | 5,870 ha | 184,000 ha | 190,000 ha |
| 2024 | 4,480 ha | 302,000 ha | 306,000 ha |
| 2025 | 4,590 ha | 201,000 ha | 205,000 ha |
Forest loss is slowing down: about 312,000 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 795,000 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2017, when about 1.16 million hectares of forest were lost, mostly to wildfires.
What is causing deforestation in Irkutsk Oblast?
- Wildfirescan grow back70% · 7.23 million ha
- Loggingcan grow back27% · 2.82 million ha
Also: storms, floods and other natural causes, mining and energy, towns and roads, farms, pasture and plantations, 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
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Clean-air buying guides
Cleaner air at home in Irkutsk Oblast
Picked by tested clean-air delivery rate (CADR), noise and running cost, from independent test labels. No brand pays to be listed.
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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.
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