Air quality comparison · Malaysia, 187 km apart
Johor Bahru vs Malacca Air quality index (AQI) today
Malacca has cleaner air than Johor Bahru right now: AQI 58 (Moderate) against 73 (Moderate).
Both sit in the same EPA band, so the health advice is the same for each today. Over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Malacca averaged AQI 30 against 56, and it was the cleaner of the two on 7 of those days. Johor Bahru has lost more forest since 2001. Johor Bahru has more tree cover.
Malaysia
AQI 73
Moderate
Cleaner right now
- PM2.5
- 21.1 µg/m³1.4× WHO guideline
- Main pollutant
- PM2.5
- Source
- Ground station
- Reading
- Nov 12, 02:00 local
Malaysia
AQI 58
Moderate
Cleaner right now
- PM2.5
- 12.6 µg/m³
- Main pollutant
- PM2.5
- Source
- Ground station
- Reading
- Nov 12, 02:00 local
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Johor Bahru73Malacca58
Head to head
Johor Bahru vs Malacca at a glance
Malacca is ahead on 4 of 6 measures, and Johor Bahru on 2. The better figure in each row is marked.
| Johor Bahru | Malacca | |
|---|---|---|
| Air quality nowUS AQI. Lower is better. | 73 | 58 (better) |
| PM2.5Fine particles, µg/m³. | 21.1 | 12.6 (better) |
| Past week's averageUS AQI, 7 days. | 56 | 30 (better) |
| Forest lost since 2001Within 10 km of the center. | 1,970 ha | 1,490 ha (better) |
| Tree coverWithin 2 km of the center. | 22.3% (better) | 21.3% |
| Trees still neededTo reach a healthy canopy. | 20.1K (better) | 23.8K |
Air quality today
What is the air like in Johor Bahru and Malacca right now?
Malacca has cleaner air than Johor Bahru right now: AQI 58 (Moderate) against 73 (Moderate). PM2.5 is setting the index in both.
Johor Bahru's PM2.5 is about 1.4× the WHO's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³.
Both readings come from nearby ground stations.
Johor BahruMalacca
Concentrations at the same moment as the index above, for the pollutants both places report. Lower is better. The dark marks on the PM2.5 and PM10 rows show the WHO's 24-hour guidelines (15 and 45 µg/m³).
Johor Bahru: Ground station · Larkin Lama, Johor, Malaysia, 4 km away · median of 2 stations. Data: World Air Quality Index Project, Malaysia Department of Environment (DOE); Air Polluant Index Management System, NEA - Singapore National Environment Agency.
Malacca: Ground station · Bandaraya Melaka, Melaka, Malaysia, 1.9 km away. Data: World Air Quality Index Project, Malaysia Department of Environment (DOE); Air Polluant Index Management System.
The past week
Which had cleaner air over the past 7 days?
Over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Malacca averaged AQI 30 against 56, and it was the cleaner of the two on 7 of those days. A single reading can catch a city on a bad afternoon; the week says whether it was the weather or the place.
- Cleaner days
- Johor Bahru0Malacca7
- Average AQI
- Johor Bahru56Malacca30
- Worst day, AQI
- Johor Bahru73Malacca42
The daily numbers (7 days)
| Day | Johor Bahru | Malacca |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 5 | 73 | 42 |
| Nov 6 | 63 | 41 |
| Nov 7 | 48 | 20 |
| Nov 8 | 53 | 37 |
| Nov 9 | 49 | 25 |
| Nov 10 | 50 | 28 |
| Nov 11 | 57 | 19 |
Daily averages from the CAMS atmospheric model for both places, so the week compares like with like. They can differ from today's reading at the top of the page wherever that comes from a ground station.
What it means today
Is it safe to go outside in Johor Bahru and Malacca today?
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion. Both are in the same EPA band today (Moderate), so the advice is the same.
Exercise outdoors
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.
Air purifier
Worth running if you are sensitive.
Against everywhere else
How do Johor Bahru and Malacca compare with the rest of the world?
Right now Johor Bahru's air is cleaner than 36% of the 5,420 places Airleaf tracks, and Malacca's is cleaner than 49%. Within Malaysia, that is 24% and 49% of its 56 measured places.
Cleaner air than…
- Johor Bahru
- Beats 36%
- Malacca
- Beats 49%
More tree cover than…
- Johor Bahru
- Beats 52%
- Malacca
- Beats 50%
Includes model estimates as well as station readings, so it can differ from our most polluted and cleanest air rankings, which use station readings only.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
Which has lost more forest, Johor Bahru or Malacca?
Johor Bahru has lost more: about 1,970 ha of forest within 10 km of its center from 2001 to 2025, against 1,490 ha around Malacca. 1,970 ha of that was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
Measured within 10 km of each center, from the yearly satellite maps of forest loss: a wider circle than the one for tree cover, because forest is usually lost at a city's edges.
Worst year: 2018, with 170 ha lost.
Worst year: 2007, with 139 ha lost.
| Johor Bahru | Malacca | |
|---|---|---|
| Forest lost since 2001Cleared, burned or logged. | 1,970 ha | 1,490 ha (better) |
| Share of its forestOf what it had in 2000. | 27% (better) | 40% |
| Cleared for goodTurned into farms, mines or towns. | 1,970 ha | 1,490 ha (better) |
| Recent trend2021–2025 against the five years before. | Holding steady | Slowing down |
| Main known cause | Towns and roads (79%) | Towns and roads (87%) |
Satellite timelapses
Watch both change, year by year
A clear satellite photo a year of the land around each city. Press play, turn on the forest cleared since the first year, or drag the before and after.
Johor Bahru
2017: satellite photo from March 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km southwest of the city center.
Malacca
2018: satellite photo from February 2018 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km east of the city center.
Trees
Which has more trees, Johor Bahru or Malacca?
Johor Bahru has more tree cover: 22.3% of the land within 2 km of its center against 21.3% around Malacca, or about 58,218 trees against 58,351.
The dark mark is each place's canopy target: 30% of the land, raised where air quality is poor.
| Johor Bahru | Malacca | |
|---|---|---|
| Trees standingEstimated from the canopy area. | 58.2K | 58.4K (better) |
| Trees still neededTo reach the target. Fewer is better. | 20.1K (better) | 23.8K |
| CO₂ absorbed each yearBy the trees already standing. | 1.3M kg | 1.3M kg (better) |
Tree cover on the satellite image
The same 2 km radius around each center, with the tree cover the satellite found marked on it.
Reading these numbers
How this comparison is made
Air quality index
The US EPA index, computed from current pollutant concentrations: ground stations where a place has them nearby, and the CAMS atmospheric model everywhere else. It moves hour to hour, so it is a snapshot rather than a verdict on either place. The guideline marks are from the WHO's 2021 air quality guidelines.
Trees and forest
Tree cover is the share of ground under canopy within 2 km of each center, read from Sentinel-2 satellite imagery at 10 m detail. It measures that circle, not the whole municipality, which is what makes the two comparable. Forest loss comes from the University of Maryland's Global Forest Change maps.
More on the method on the About Airleaf page.
Frequently asked
Johor Bahru vs Malacca: your questions answered
Is Malacca cleaner than Johor Bahru?
On air quality, yes, right now: Malacca reads AQI 58 against 73, a gap of 15 points on the US EPA index. This is a live reading rather than an annual average, so it can reverse within a day. Over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Malacca averaged AQI 30 against 56, and it was the cleaner of the two on 7 of those days.
Is it safe to exercise outdoors in Johor Bahru and Malacca today?
The advice is the same for both today. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion. Johor Bahru reads AQI 73 and Malacca reads AQI 58.
Which has lost more forest, Johor Bahru or Malacca?
Johor Bahru has lost more: about 1,970 ha of forest within 10 km of its center from 2001 to 2025, against 1,490 ha around Malacca. 1,970 ha of that was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
Which has more trees, Johor Bahru or Malacca?
Johor Bahru has more tree cover: 22.3% of the land within 2 km of its center against 21.3% around Malacca, or about 58,218 trees against 58,351. Both figures describe the same-sized circle of ground around each center, not the whole municipality.
How many more trees do Johor Bahru and Malacca need?
Johor Bahru needs about 20,102 more to reach its canopy target of 30%, and Malacca about 23,833 to reach 30%. The target starts at 30% of the land and rises where air quality is poor.
Are Johor Bahru and Malacca measured the same way?
The method is the same: the US EPA index for air, and Sentinel-2 satellite imagery at 10 m detail over an identical radius for trees. Both readings come from nearby ground stations. Nothing is adjusted for population, city limits or climate.
How often does the Johor Bahru vs Malacca comparison update?
The air readings refresh about once an hour, and each reading's local time is shown at the top of the page. Tree cover comes from the latest clear satellite image of each area (Aug 27, 2026 and Aug 22, 2026), and the forest figures are published yearly.
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