City report · Penang, Malaysia
Butterworth Air quality today
Air quality in Butterworth currently reads AQI 39 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
AQI 39
Air quality right now
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 7.0
- tree cover
- 20.7%
- trees in this area
- 26.7K
- more trees needed
- 12.0K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Butterworth, Penang, Malaysia (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Aug 28, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Butterworth · AQI 39 (Good)
Butterworth's tree count comes to 26,728 trees across 5.17 km² of land, 9 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 12,008 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Butterworth today: AQI 39, Good
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 12, 02:00 local time via World Air Quality Index Project ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Perai, 3.3 km away · median of 3 stations
Health signal
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
PM2.5
7.0
PM10
11.9
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: World Air Quality Index Project, Malaysia Department of Environment (DOE); Air Polluant Index Management System
- Outdoor exercise
- A good day to be active outside
- Windows
- Open them to air the house
- Mask
- Not needed
- Air purifier
- Not needed
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Butterworth's daily AQI at 49 on average, from 40 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 74 on Nov 6.
This is the US EPA AQI. How it differs from Malaysia's API (IPU) · The full guide
Where Butterworth stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Butterworth: Below target
20.7% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 5.17 km² of land.
Trees in this area
26,728
Target trees
38,736
More trees needed
12,008
CO₂ if planted / yr
264.2 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Butterworth lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Butterworth has lost about 476 hectares of forest (about 670 football pitches): 16% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (98%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from March 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km northeast of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 476 haabout 670 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 16%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 465 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2014, when about 42 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 | 2 ha |
| 2002 | 6 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2003 | 7 ha | under 1 ha | 7 ha |
| 2004 | 11 ha | under 1 ha | 11 ha |
| 2005 | 35 ha | 1 ha | 36 ha |
| 2006 | 14 ha | under 1 ha | 14 ha |
| 2007 | 20 ha | under 1 ha | 20 ha |
| 2008 | 15 ha | under 1 ha | 15 ha |
| 2009 | 32 ha | under 1 ha | 33 ha |
| 2010 | 19 ha | under 1 ha | 20 ha |
| 2011 | 21 ha | under 1 ha | 21 ha |
| 2012 | 39 ha | under 1 ha | 39 ha |
| 2013 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2014 | 38 ha | 4 ha | 42 ha |
| 2015 | 26 ha | under 1 ha | 27 ha |
| 2016 | 32 ha | under 1 ha | 33 ha |
| 2017 | 25 ha | under 1 ha | 25 ha |
| 2018 | 9 ha | under 1 ha | 10 ha |
| 2019 | 7 ha | under 1 ha | 7 ha |
| 2020 | 7 ha | under 1 ha | 7 ha |
| 2021 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2022 | 6 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2023 | 29 ha | under 1 ha | 29 ha |
| 2024 | 24 ha | under 1 ha | 24 ha |
| 2025 | 30 ha | under 1 ha | 31 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Butterworth?
- Towns and roadscleared for good84% · 402 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good13% · 63 ha
- Unknown causescause unknown1.2% · 6 ha
Also: shifting farming.
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
- 4,640 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 4,470 ha
- Overall change
- −173 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Butterworth shrank from about 4,640 hectares to 4,470 hectares, a net loss of about 173 hectares (−3.7%). New forest grew on about 224 hectares, but 398 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 Butterworth
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Bukit Mertajam12.1 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 42%
- Air quality
- 37
- Bayan Lepas15.9 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 44%
- Air quality
- 38
- Tasek Glugor17.4 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 58%
- Air quality
- 39
- Kota Kuala Muda21.0 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 29%
- Air quality
- 47
- Kulim22.2 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 57%
- Air quality
- 39
- Sungai Petani30.8 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 29%
- Air quality
- 72
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Frequently asked
Questions about Butterworth
What is the air quality (AQI) in Butterworth right now?
The latest reading for Butterworth shows an AQI of 39 (Good), measured Nov 12, 02:00 local time by 3 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Perai, 3.3 km away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Butterworth today?
At AQI 39 (Good): a good day to be active outside. Windows: open them to air the house. Masks: not needed. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.
What has the air quality in Butterworth been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Butterworth's daily AQI at 49 on average, from 40 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 74 on Nov 6. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Is Butterworth's AQI the same as Malaysia's API (IPU)?
No. Airleaf shows the US EPA Air Quality Index (AQI), the scale used by IQAir and most air-quality apps. Malaysia's Department of Environment (Jabatan Alam Sekitar) publishes its own Air Pollutant Index, the API or Indeks Pencemar Udara (IPU), every hour for each of its monitoring stations on APIMS (apims.doe.gov.my). Both scales call 0–50 good and 51–100 moderate; above that the IPU runs 101–200 unhealthy, 201–300 very unhealthy and over 300 hazardous. The two use different breakpoints and averaging times, so the numbers for the same hour often differ. For the official IPU reading, check the nearest station on APIMS.
How much forest has the area around Butterworth lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Butterworth has lost about 476 hectares of forest (about 670 football pitches): 16% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (98%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Butterworth shrank from about 4,640 hectares to 4,470 hectares, a net loss of about 173 hectares (−3.7%). New forest grew on about 224 hectares, but 398 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Butterworth?
Butterworth has an estimated 26,728 trees across the 5.17 km² of land measured — 20.7% tree cover, 9 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Butterworth need?
Butterworth needs roughly 12,008 more trees to close a 9-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 264.2 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Butterworth's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Butterworth, via OpenAQ; the 7-day trend is the Open-Meteo / CAMS model's estimate. 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 Butterworth; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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