City report · La Guajira Department, Colombia
Riohacha Air quality today
Air quality in Riohacha currently reads AQI 53 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 53
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 11.6
- tree cover
- 20.8%
- trees in this area
- 56.4K
- more trees needed
- 24.9K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Riohacha, La Guajira, Colombia (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Aug 20, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Riohacha · AQI 53 (Moderate)
Riohacha's tree count comes to 56,393 trees across 10.85 km² of land, 9 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 24,943 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Riohacha today: AQI 53, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 10, 18:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Model estimate · no ground station nearby
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
11.6
PM10
13.1
NO₂
5.7
O₃
74.0
SO₂
1.0
CO
211.0
- Outdoor exercise
- Fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier
- Windows
- Fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution
- Mask
- Not needed for most people
- Air purifier
- Worth running if you are sensitive
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Riohacha's daily AQI at 39 on average, from 24 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 53 on Nov 5.
Where Riohacha stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Riohacha: Below target
20.8% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 10.85 km² of land.
Trees in this area
56,393
Target trees
81,336
More trees needed
24,943
CO₂ if planted / yr
548.7 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Riohacha lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Riohacha has lost about 57 hectares of forest (about 80 football pitches): 3% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (95%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
2017: satellite photo from February 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 57 haabout 80 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 3%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 54 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2013, when about 11 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 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2003 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2005 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2006 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2007 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2009 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2010 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2012 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2013 | 11 ha | under 1 ha | 11 ha |
| 2014 | 11 ha | under 1 ha | 11 ha |
| 2015 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2017 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2018 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2020 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2021 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2023 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2025 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Riohacha?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good95% · 54 ha
- Unknown causescause unknown4.6% · 3 ha
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
- 353 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 314 ha
- Overall change
- −39 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Riohacha shrank from about 353 hectares to 314 hectares, a net loss of about 39 hectares (−11%). New forest grew on about 6 hectares, but 45 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 Riohacha
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Maicao75.1 km
Colombia
- Tree cover
- 6%
- Air quality
- 52
- Valledupar125.8 km
Colombia
- Tree cover
- 20%
- Air quality
- 22
- Santa Marta144.4 km
Colombia
- Tree cover
- 20%
- Air quality
- 44
- La Concepción155.5 km
Venezuela
- Tree cover
- 21%
- Air quality
- 51
- Machiques169.5 km
Venezuela
- Tree cover
- 44%
- Air quality
- 38
- Maracaibo173.4 km
Venezuela
- Tree cover
- 8%
- Air quality
- 64
Build your own
Compare Riohacha with anywhere
This place
Riohacha
Use this data
Put Riohacha's numbers on your site
Free to embed. Updates itself as the measurement refreshes.
Frequently asked
Questions about Riohacha
What is the air quality (AQI) in Riohacha right now?
The latest reading for Riohacha shows an AQI of 53 (Moderate), observed Nov 10, 18:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Riohacha today?
At AQI 53 (Moderate): fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier. Windows: fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution. Masks: not needed for most people. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.
What has the air quality in Riohacha been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Riohacha's daily AQI at 39 on average, from 24 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 53 on Nov 5. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Riohacha lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Riohacha has lost about 57 hectares of forest (about 80 football pitches): 3% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (95%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Riohacha shrank from about 353 hectares to 314 hectares, a net loss of about 39 hectares (−11%). New forest grew on about 6 hectares, but 45 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Riohacha?
Riohacha has an estimated 56,393 trees across the 10.85 km² of land measured — 20.8% tree cover, 9 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Riohacha need?
Riohacha needs roughly 24,943 more trees to close a 9-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 548.7 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Riohacha'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 Riohacha; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
See your own area
What does your neighborhood look like?
Pick any point and radius to get the same air-quality and tree-cover breakdown.
Check my address