City report · Sarawak, Malaysia
Kuching Air quality today
Air quality in Kuching currently reads AQI 54 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 54
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 10.6
- tree cover
- 22.8%
- trees in this area
- 66.8K
- more trees needed
- 21.1K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Aug 18, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Kuching · AQI 54 (Moderate)
Kuching's tree count comes to 66,829 trees across 11.73 km² of land, 7 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 21,104 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Kuching today: AQI 54, 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 · Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, 6.3 km away
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
10.6
PM10
18.4
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 Kuching's daily AQI at 50 on average, from 42 on Nov 11 to an hourly peak of 79 on Nov 9.
This is the US EPA AQI. How it differs from Malaysia's API (IPU) · The full guide
Where Kuching stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Kuching: Below target
22.8% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 11.73 km² of land.
Trees in this area
66,829
Target trees
87,933
More trees needed
21,104
CO₂ if planted / yr
464.3 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Kuching lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Kuching has lost about 5,010 hectares of forest (about 7,000 football pitches): 30% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (91%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2019: satellite photo from May 2019 of a 5 × 5 km area about 6 km west of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 5,010 haabout 7,000 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 30%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 4,570 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 179 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 169 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2006, when about 425 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 | 50 ha | under 1 ha | 51 ha |
| 2002 | 107 ha | under 1 ha | 107 ha |
| 2003 | 116 ha | under 1 ha | 116 ha |
| 2004 | 285 ha | 1 ha | 286 ha |
| 2005 | 121 ha | 1 ha | 122 ha |
| 2006 | 178 ha | 247 ha | 425 ha |
| 2007 | 263 ha | 4 ha | 267 ha |
| 2008 | 175 ha | 11 ha | 186 ha |
| 2009 | 375 ha | 22 ha | 397 ha |
| 2010 | 238 ha | 2 ha | 240 ha |
| 2011 | 213 ha | under 1 ha | 213 ha |
| 2012 | 247 ha | 7 ha | 254 ha |
| 2013 | 156 ha | under 1 ha | 156 ha |
| 2014 | 231 ha | 1 ha | 232 ha |
| 2015 | 209 ha | 7 ha | 216 ha |
| 2016 | 239 ha | 48 ha | 287 ha |
| 2017 | 104 ha | 32 ha | 136 ha |
| 2018 | 59 ha | 2 ha | 60 ha |
| 2019 | 238 ha | under 1 ha | 238 ha |
| 2020 | 126 ha | under 1 ha | 126 ha |
| 2021 | 258 ha | under 1 ha | 258 ha |
| 2022 | 211 ha | 2 ha | 213 ha |
| 2023 | 102 ha | 5 ha | 107 ha |
| 2024 | 106 ha | 8 ha | 114 ha |
| 2025 | 159 ha | 44 ha | 203 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Kuching?
- Towns and roadscleared for good65% · 3,240 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good22% · 1,120 ha
- Loggingcan grow back5.9% · 294 ha
Also: mining and energy, storms, floods and other natural causes, wildfires, 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
- 17,200 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 14,400 ha
- Overall change
- −2,770 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Kuching shrank from about 17,200 hectares to 14,400 hectares, a net loss of about 2,770 hectares (−16%). New forest grew on about 598 hectares, but 3,370 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 Kuching
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Singkawang166.0 km
Indonesia
- Tree cover
- 24%
- Air quality
- 55
- Sibu184.7 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 49%
- Air quality
- 36
- Pontianak208.6 km
Indonesia
- Tree cover
- 0%
- Air quality
- 90
- Bintulu349.7 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 44%
- Air quality
- 46
- Pangkalanbuun492.2 km
Indonesia
- Tree cover
- 29%
- Air quality
- 87
- Miri515.1 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 48%
- Air quality
- 44
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Frequently asked
Questions about Kuching
What is the air quality (AQI) in Kuching right now?
The latest reading for Kuching shows an AQI of 54 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 23:00 local time by the Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia ground monitoring station, 6.3 km away, via OpenAQ. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Kuching today?
At AQI 54 (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 Kuching been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Kuching's daily AQI at 50 on average, from 42 on Nov 11 to an hourly peak of 79 on Nov 9. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Is Kuching'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 Kuching lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Kuching has lost about 5,010 hectares of forest (about 7,000 football pitches): 30% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (91%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 179 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 169 hectares a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Kuching shrank from about 17,200 hectares to 14,400 hectares, a net loss of about 2,770 hectares (−16%). New forest grew on about 598 hectares, but 3,370 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Kuching?
Kuching has an estimated 66,829 trees across the 11.73 km² of land measured — 22.8% tree cover, 7 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Kuching need?
Kuching needs roughly 21,104 more trees to close a 7-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 464.3 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Kuching's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Kuching, 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 Kuching; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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