City report · Perak, Malaysia
Ipoh Air quality today
Air quality in Ipoh currently reads AQI 73 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 73
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 20.9
- tree cover
- 21.5%
- trees in this area
- 67.5K
- more trees needed
- 26.7K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Taman Hoover, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Jul 6, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Ipoh · AQI 73 (Moderate)
Ipoh's tree count comes to 67,544 trees across 12.57 km², 9 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 26,704 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Ipoh today: AQI 73, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 23:00 local time via World Air Quality Index Project ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · S K Jalan Pegoh, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia, 3.4 km away · median of 2 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
20.9
PM10
32.4
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: World Air Quality Index Project, Malaysia Department of Environment (DOE); Air Polluant Index Management System
- 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 Ipoh's daily AQI at 46 on average, from 33 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 85 on Nov 8.
This is the US EPA AQI. How it differs from Malaysia's API (IPU) · The full guide
Where Ipoh stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Ipoh: Below target
21.5% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
67,544
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
26,704
CO₂ if planted / yr
587.5 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Ipoh lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Ipoh has lost about 3,240 hectares of forest (about 4,500 football pitches): 26% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (87%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2018: satellite photo from April 2018 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km west of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 3,240 haabout 4,500 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 26%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 2,830 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss is slowing down: about 114 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 161 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2018, when about 361 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 | 119 ha | 1 ha | 120 ha |
| 2002 | 98 ha | 1 ha | 99 ha |
| 2003 | 103 ha | 2 ha | 105 ha |
| 2004 | 148 ha | 28 ha | 176 ha |
| 2005 | 134 ha | 4 ha | 138 ha |
| 2006 | 160 ha | 14 ha | 174 ha |
| 2007 | 127 ha | 19 ha | 146 ha |
| 2008 | 163 ha | 4 ha | 167 ha |
| 2009 | 193 ha | 1 ha | 194 ha |
| 2010 | 104 ha | 1 ha | 105 ha |
| 2011 | 87 ha | under 1 ha | 87 ha |
| 2012 | 149 ha | 6 ha | 155 ha |
| 2013 | 42 ha | 2 ha | 44 ha |
| 2014 | 88 ha | 4 ha | 93 ha |
| 2015 | 54 ha | 3 ha | 57 ha |
| 2016 | 161 ha | 2 ha | 163 ha |
| 2017 | 104 ha | 17 ha | 121 ha |
| 2018 | 164 ha | 197 ha | 361 ha |
| 2019 | 79 ha | 17 ha | 95 ha |
| 2020 | 63 ha | 2 ha | 64 ha |
| 2021 | 172 ha | 2 ha | 174 ha |
| 2022 | 76 ha | 15 ha | 91 ha |
| 2023 | 76 ha | 16 ha | 92 ha |
| 2024 | 85 ha | 9 ha | 94 ha |
| 2025 | 83 ha | 38 ha | 121 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Ipoh?
- Towns and roadscleared for good39% · 1,260 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good34% · 1,090 ha
- Mining and energycleared for good15% · 480 ha
Also: logging, storms, floods and other natural causes, shifting farming, unknown causes.
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
- 15,500 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 14,200 ha
- Overall change
- −1,240 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Ipoh shrank from about 15,500 hectares to 14,200 hectares, a net loss of about 1,240 hectares (−8%). New forest grew on about 1,060 hectares, but 2,300 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 Ipoh
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Taiping48.7 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 31%
- Air quality
- 24
- Sitiawan58.9 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 45%
- Air quality
- 70
- Teluk Intan62.9 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 40%
- Air quality
- 59
- Kulim104.3 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 57%
- Air quality
- 20
- Bukit Mertajam110.3 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 42%
- Air quality
- 56
- Tasek Glugor118.8 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 58%
- Air quality
- 53
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Frequently asked
Questions about Ipoh
What is the air quality (AQI) in Ipoh right now?
The latest reading for Ipoh shows an AQI of 73 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 23:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is S K Jalan Pegoh, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia, 3.4 km away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Ipoh today?
At AQI 73 (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 Ipoh been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Ipoh's daily AQI at 46 on average, from 33 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 85 on Nov 8. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Is Ipoh'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 Ipoh lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Ipoh has lost about 3,240 hectares of forest (about 4,500 football pitches): 26% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (87%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Forest loss is slowing down: about 114 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 161 hectares a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Ipoh shrank from about 15,500 hectares to 14,200 hectares, a net loss of about 1,240 hectares (−8%). New forest grew on about 1,060 hectares, but 2,300 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Ipoh?
Ipoh has an estimated 67,544 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 21.5% tree cover, 9 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Ipoh need?
Ipoh needs roughly 26,704 more trees to close a 9-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 587.5 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Ipoh's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Taman Hoover, 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 Taman Hoover; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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