City report · Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur Air quality today
Air quality in Kuala Lumpur currently reads AQI 77 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 77
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 23.0
- tree cover
- 44.2%
- trees in this area
- 138K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 2 km radius around Perdana Botanical Gardens, Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Aug 15, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Kuala Lumpur · AQI 77 (Moderate)
Kuala Lumpur's tree count comes to 137,748 trees across 12.47 km² of land, already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Kuala Lumpur today: AQI 77, Moderate
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 · Kuala Lumpur, 200 m away · median of 3 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
23.0
PM10
30.2
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 Kuala Lumpur's daily AQI at 92 on average, from 83 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 165 on Nov 6.
This is the US EPA AQI. How it differs from Malaysia's API (IPU) · The full guide
Where Kuala Lumpur stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Kuala Lumpur: Healthy tree cover
44.2% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.47 km² of land.
Trees in this area
137,748
Target trees
137,748
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Kuala Lumpur lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Kuala Lumpur has lost about 1,250 hectares of forest (about 1,800 football pitches): 25% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (over 99%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from February 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 6 km west of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1,250 haabout 1,800 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 25%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 1,250 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss is slowing down: about 15 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 51 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2004, when about 165 hectares of forest were lost.
Kuala Lumpur's full deforestation reportHectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 64 ha | under 1 ha | 64 ha |
| 2002 | 116 ha | under 1 ha | 116 ha |
| 2003 | 38 ha | under 1 ha | 39 ha |
| 2004 | 165 ha | under 1 ha | 165 ha |
| 2005 | 86 ha | under 1 ha | 87 ha |
| 2006 | 76 ha | under 1 ha | 76 ha |
| 2007 | 74 ha | under 1 ha | 75 ha |
| 2008 | 50 ha | under 1 ha | 51 ha |
| 2009 | 59 ha | under 1 ha | 59 ha |
| 2010 | 63 ha | under 1 ha | 63 ha |
| 2011 | 27 ha | under 1 ha | 27 ha |
| 2012 | 33 ha | under 1 ha | 34 ha |
| 2013 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2014 | 32 ha | under 1 ha | 32 ha |
| 2015 | 32 ha | under 1 ha | 32 ha |
| 2016 | 72 ha | under 1 ha | 73 ha |
| 2017 | 61 ha | under 1 ha | 62 ha |
| 2018 | 70 ha | under 1 ha | 70 ha |
| 2019 | 43 ha | under 1 ha | 43 ha |
| 2020 | 9 ha | under 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2021 | 18 ha | under 1 ha | 18 ha |
| 2022 | 10 ha | under 1 ha | 10 ha |
| 2023 | 13 ha | under 1 ha | 13 ha |
| 2024 | 12 ha | under 1 ha | 12 ha |
| 2025 | 21 ha | 1 ha | 22 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Kuala Lumpur?
- Towns and roadscleared for good99% · 1,250 ha
Also: mining and energy, 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
- 9,820 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 9,340 ha
- Overall change
- −481 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Kuala Lumpur shrank from about 9,820 hectares to 9,340 hectares, a net loss of about 481 hectares (−4.9%). New forest grew on about 962 hectares, but 1,440 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 Kuala Lumpur
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Kampung Baru Subang17.0 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 25%
- Air quality
- 67
- Kajang19.9 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 27%
- Air quality
- 74
- Rawang23.4 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 39%
- Air quality
- 73
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Frequently asked
Questions about Kuala Lumpur
What is the air quality (AQI) in Kuala Lumpur right now?
The latest reading for Kuala Lumpur shows an AQI of 77 (Moderate), measured Nov 12, 02:00 local time by 3 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Kuala Lumpur, 200 m away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Kuala Lumpur today?
At AQI 77 (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 Kuala Lumpur been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Kuala Lumpur's daily AQI at 92 on average, from 83 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 165 on Nov 6. On 1 of those days the average was above 100, unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Is Kuala Lumpur'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 Kuala Lumpur lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Kuala Lumpur has lost about 1,250 hectares of forest (about 1,800 football pitches): 25% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (over 99%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Forest loss is slowing down: about 15 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 51 hectares a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Kuala Lumpur shrank from about 9,820 hectares to 9,340 hectares, a net loss of about 481 hectares (−4.9%). New forest grew on about 962 hectares, but 1,440 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Kuala Lumpur?
Kuala Lumpur has an estimated 137,748 trees across the 12.47 km² of land measured — 44.2% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Kuala Lumpur need?
Kuala Lumpur has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Kuala Lumpur's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Perdana Botanical Gardens, 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 Perdana Botanical Gardens; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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