Mexico · Michoacán · 5 cities
Air quality in Michoacán today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now, Ciudad Lázaro Cárdenas has the cleanest air of the 5 cities we track in Michoacán (AQI 60, Moderate), and Zamora de Hidalgo the worst (AQI 127, Unhealthy for sensitive groups). Ciudad Lázaro Cárdenas has the most tree cover, at 31.3% — #9 of 114 cities measured in Mexico.
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 93
Average right now
Moderate
- cities tracked
- 5
- average tree cover
- 19.3%
- Mexico: 14.6%
- worst air now: Zamora de Hidalgo
- 127
- cleanest air now: Ciudad Lázaro Cárdenas
- 60
Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf, refreshed hourly.
Michoacán · average AQI 93
Air quality today across Michoacán, city by city
| Morelia | 78Moderate | 9.8% | 63.5K | #65 of 114 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uruapan | 107Unhealthy for sensitive groups | 19.1% | 50.0K | #32 of 114 |
| Ciudad Lázaro Cárdenas | 60Moderate | 31.3% | — | #9 of 114 |
| Zamora de Hidalgo | 127Unhealthy for sensitive groups | 12.6% | 70.4K | #53 of 114 |
| Apatzingán | 93Moderate | 23.8% | 19.5K | #19 of 114 |
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 Mexico.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Michoacán lost?
Since 2001, Michoacán has lost about 118,000 hectares of forest (about 170,000 football pitches): 4.8% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (78%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 118,000 haabout 170,000 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 4.8%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 92,300 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 | 2,710 ha | 1,440 ha | 4,150 ha |
| 2002 | 1,330 ha | 309 ha | 1,640 ha |
| 2003 | 1,020 ha | 177 ha | 1,200 ha |
| 2004 | 1,760 ha | 472 ha | 2,230 ha |
| 2005 | 1,870 ha | 287 ha | 2,160 ha |
| 2006 | 2,920 ha | 481 ha | 3,400 ha |
| 2007 | 4,000 ha | 765 ha | 4,770 ha |
| 2008 | 2,770 ha | 458 ha | 3,230 ha |
| 2009 | 1,950 ha | 630 ha | 2,580 ha |
| 2010 | 2,130 ha | 551 ha | 2,680 ha |
| 2011 | 2,540 ha | 737 ha | 3,280 ha |
| 2012 | 2,990 ha | 675 ha | 3,670 ha |
| 2013 | 5,880 ha | 984 ha | 6,860 ha |
| 2014 | 3,940 ha | 722 ha | 4,660 ha |
| 2015 | 4,600 ha | 568 ha | 5,170 ha |
| 2016 | 6,720 ha | 723 ha | 7,440 ha |
| 2017 | 5,130 ha | 863 ha | 5,990 ha |
| 2018 | 7,910 ha | 2,230 ha | 10,100 ha |
| 2019 | 5,620 ha | 921 ha | 6,540 ha |
| 2020 | 3,840 ha | 819 ha | 4,660 ha |
| 2021 | 4,520 ha | 2,410 ha | 6,930 ha |
| 2022 | 4,080 ha | 1,610 ha | 5,680 ha |
| 2023 | 4,150 ha | 1,240 ha | 5,400 ha |
| 2024 | 4,540 ha | 3,160 ha | 7,700 ha |
| 2025 | 3,400 ha | 2,670 ha | 6,070 ha |
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 6,360 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 6,960 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2018, when about 10,100 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in Michoacán?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good77% · 91,400 ha
- Loggingcan grow back12% · 14,100 ha
- Wildfirescan grow back6.8% · 8,030 ha
Also: storms, floods and other natural causes, towns and roads, mining and energy, shifting farming, 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 states in Mexico
Clean-air buying guides
Cleaner air at home in Michoacán
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