Air quality comparison · Malaysia, 12 km apart
Rawang vs Selayang Baru Utara Air quality index (AQI) today
Rawang has cleaner air than Selayang Baru Utara right now: AQI 67 (Moderate) against 113 (Unhealthy for sensitive groups).
That puts them in different EPA bands, so the health advice differs today. Over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, both averaged AQI 92. Rawang has lost more forest since 2001. Rawang has more tree cover.
Malaysia
AQI 67
Moderate
Cleaner right now
- PM2.5
- 17.8 µg/m³1.2× WHO guideline
- Main pollutant
- PM2.5
- Source
- Ground station
- Reading
- Nov 12, 00:00 local
Malaysia
AQI 113
Unhealthy for sensitive groups
Cleaner right now
- PM2.5
- 40.4 µg/m³2.7× WHO guideline
- Main pollutant
- PM2.5
- Source
- Ground station
- Reading
- Nov 11, 23:00 local
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Rawang67Selayang Baru Utara113
Head to head
Rawang vs Selayang Baru Utara at a glance
Rawang is ahead on 4 of 6 measures, and Selayang Baru Utara on 1. The better figure in each row is marked.
| Rawang | Selayang Baru Utara | |
|---|---|---|
| Air quality nowUS AQI. Lower is better. | 67 (better) | 113 |
| PM2.5Fine particles, µg/m³. | 17.8 (better) | 40.4 |
| Past week's averageUS AQI, 7 days. | 92 | 92 |
| Forest lost since 2001Within 10 km of the center. | 6,470 ha | 2,370 ha (better) |
| Tree coverWithin 2 km of the center. | 38.6% (better) | 29.1% |
| Trees still neededTo reach a healthy canopy. | 0 (better) | 18.5K |
Air quality today
What is the air like in Rawang and Selayang Baru Utara right now?
Rawang has cleaner air than Selayang Baru Utara right now: AQI 67 (Moderate) against 113 (Unhealthy for sensitive groups). PM2.5 is setting the index in both.
Rawang's PM2.5 is about 1.2× the WHO's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³. Selayang Baru Utara's PM2.5 is about 2.7× the WHO's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³.
Both readings come from ground stations, and the closest one is the same for both (Batu Muda,Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia), so read a small gap with care.
RawangSelayang Baru Utara
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).
Rawang: Ground station · Batu Muda,Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia, 16.8 km away · median of 4 stations. Data: World Air Quality Index Project, Malaysia Department of Environment (DOE); Air Polluant Index Management System.
Selayang Baru Utara: Ground station · Batu Muda,Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia, 5 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, both averaged AQI 92. The two are close enough that the air model behind these daily figures barely separates them, so their lines nearly overlap.
- Cleaner days
- Rawang0Selayang Baru Utara0
- Average AQI
- Rawang92Selayang Baru Utara92
- Worst day, AQI
- Rawang114Selayang Baru Utara114
The daily numbers (7 days)
| Day | Rawang | Selayang Baru Utara |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 5 | 92 | 92 |
| Nov 6 | 90 | 90 |
| Nov 7 | 83 | 83 |
| Nov 8 | 87 | 87 |
| Nov 9 | 83 | 83 |
| Nov 10 | 94 | 94 |
| Nov 11 | 114 | 114 |
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 Rawang and Selayang Baru Utara today?
Rawang (AQI 67, Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Selayang Baru Utara (AQI 113, Unhealthy for sensitive groups): Sensitive groups should limit long or intense outdoor activity.
Exercise outdoors
- Rawang
- Fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier.
- Selayang Baru Utara
- Children, older adults and people with asthma or heart disease should cut down long or hard exercise.
Windows
- Rawang
- Fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution.
- Selayang Baru Utara
- Close them to keep the outside air out.
Masks
- Rawang
- Not needed for most people.
- Selayang Baru Utara
- Sensitive groups: an N95 outdoors.
Air purifier
- Rawang
- Worth running if you are sensitive.
- Selayang Baru Utara
- Run one, especially in bedrooms.
Against everywhere else
How do Rawang and Selayang Baru Utara compare with the rest of the world?
Right now Rawang's air is cleaner than 40% of the 5,420 places Airleaf tracks, and Selayang Baru Utara's is cleaner than 18%. Within Malaysia, that is 29% and 0% of its 56 measured places.
Cleaner air than…
- Rawang
- Beats 40%
- Selayang Baru Utara
- Beats 18%
More tree cover than…
- Rawang
- Beats 82%
- Selayang Baru Utara
- Beats 67%
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, Rawang or Selayang Baru Utara?
Rawang has lost more: about 6,470 ha of forest within 10 km of its center from 2001 to 2025, against 2,370 ha around Selayang Baru Utara. 6,270 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: 2009, with 728 ha lost.
Worst year: 2004, with 175 ha lost.
| Rawang | Selayang Baru Utara | |
|---|---|---|
| Forest lost since 2001Cleared, burned or logged. | 6,470 ha | 2,370 ha (better) |
| Share of its forestOf what it had in 2000. | 31% | 13% (better) |
| Cleared for goodTurned into farms, mines or towns. | 6,270 ha | 2,200 ha (better) |
| Recent trend2021–2025 against the five years before. | Holding steady | Holding steady |
| Main known cause | Towns and roads (49%) | Towns and roads (57%) |
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.
Rawang
2017: satellite photo from March 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 6 km southwest of the city center.
Selayang Baru Utara
2017: satellite photo from February 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km east of the city center.
Trees
Which has more trees, Rawang or Selayang Baru Utara?
Rawang has more tree cover: 38.6% of the land within 2 km of its center against 29.1% around Selayang Baru Utara, or about 118,113 trees against 91,146.
The dark mark is each place's canopy target: 30% of the land, raised where air quality is poor.
| Rawang | Selayang Baru Utara | |
|---|---|---|
| Trees standingEstimated from the canopy area. | 118K (better) | 91.1K |
| Trees still neededTo reach the target. Fewer is better. | 0 (better) | 18.5K |
| CO₂ absorbed each yearBy the trees already standing. | 2.6M kg (better) | 2.0M kg |
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
Rawang vs Selayang Baru Utara: your questions answered
Is Rawang cleaner than Selayang Baru Utara?
On air quality, yes, right now: Rawang reads AQI 67 against 113, a gap of 46 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, both averaged AQI 92.
Is it safe to exercise outdoors in Rawang and Selayang Baru Utara today?
In Rawang, at AQI 67: Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion. In Selayang Baru Utara, at AQI 113: Sensitive groups should limit long or intense outdoor activity.
Which has lost more forest, Rawang or Selayang Baru Utara?
Rawang has lost more: about 6,470 ha of forest within 10 km of its center from 2001 to 2025, against 2,370 ha around Selayang Baru Utara. 6,270 ha of that was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
Which has more trees, Rawang or Selayang Baru Utara?
Rawang has more tree cover: 38.6% of the land within 2 km of its center against 29.1% around Selayang Baru Utara, or about 118,113 trees against 91,146. Both figures describe the same-sized circle of ground around each center, not the whole municipality.
How many more trees do Rawang and Selayang Baru Utara need?
Rawang needs about 0 more to reach its canopy target of 30%, and Selayang Baru Utara about 18,480 to reach 35%. The target starts at 30% of the land and rises where air quality is poor.
Why can two places 12 km apart read differently?
Air changes over short distances with traffic, industry, wind and hills, and each reading comes from the nearest ground stations or, where there are none, from a regional model. A gap of a few points between neighbors is within normal variation, while a gap that crosses an EPA band is worth noticing.
Are Rawang and Selayang Baru Utara 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 ground stations, and the closest one is the same for both (Batu Muda,Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia), so read a small gap with care. Nothing is adjusted for population, city limits or climate.
How often does the Rawang vs Selayang Baru Utara 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 15, 2026 and Aug 15, 2026), and the forest figures are published yearly.
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