City report · Sabah, Malaysia
Lahad Datu Air quality today
Air quality in Lahad Datu currently reads AQI 31 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
AQI 31
Air quality right now
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 4.6
- tree cover
- 46.2%
- trees in this area
- 99.6K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 2 km radius around Bandar Lahad Datu, 91100 Lahad Datu, Sabah, Malaysia (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 13, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Lahad Datu · AQI 31 (Good)
Lahad Datu's tree count comes to 99,567 trees across 8.62 km² of land, already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Lahad Datu today: AQI 31, Good
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 06:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Model estimate · no ground station nearby
Health signal
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
PM2.5
4.6
PM10
4.7
NO₂
3.3
O₃
25.0
SO₂
0.8
CO
180.0
- 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 Lahad Datu's daily AQI at 40 on average, from 26 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 85 on Nov 5.
This is the US EPA AQI. How it differs from Malaysia's API (IPU) · The full guide
Where Lahad Datu stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Lahad Datu: Healthy tree cover
46.2% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 8.62 km² of land.
Trees in this area
99,567
Target trees
99,567
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Lahad Datu lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Lahad Datu has lost about 7,710 hectares of forest (about 11,000 football pitches): 44% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (99%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
2017: satellite photo from August 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km north of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 7,710 haabout 11,000 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 44%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 7,630 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss is slowing down: about 283 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 378 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2005, when about 659 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 | 309 ha | 3 ha | 312 ha |
| 2002 | 282 ha | 8 ha | 290 ha |
| 2003 | 64 ha | under 1 ha | 64 ha |
| 2004 | 397 ha | 12 ha | 409 ha |
| 2005 | 649 ha | 10 ha | 659 ha |
| 2006 | 368 ha | 3 ha | 371 ha |
| 2007 | 244 ha | 3 ha | 247 ha |
| 2008 | 411 ha | 11 ha | 422 ha |
| 2009 | 34 ha | 7 ha | 41 ha |
| 2010 | 566 ha | 6 ha | 572 ha |
| 2011 | 136 ha | 1 ha | 137 ha |
| 2012 | 272 ha | 5 ha | 277 ha |
| 2013 | 108 ha | 3 ha | 111 ha |
| 2014 | 263 ha | 2 ha | 265 ha |
| 2015 | 222 ha | 4 ha | 226 ha |
| 2016 | 610 ha | 1 ha | 611 ha |
| 2017 | 305 ha | 1 ha | 306 ha |
| 2018 | 338 ha | under 1 ha | 338 ha |
| 2019 | 362 ha | under 1 ha | 362 ha |
| 2020 | 274 ha | under 1 ha | 274 ha |
| 2021 | 356 ha | 2 ha | 358 ha |
| 2022 | 201 ha | under 1 ha | 201 ha |
| 2023 | 217 ha | under 1 ha | 217 ha |
| 2024 | 411 ha | under 1 ha | 411 ha |
| 2025 | 229 ha | 1 ha | 230 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Lahad Datu?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good96% · 7,380 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good3.2% · 248 ha
Also: shifting farming, logging, storms, floods and other natural causes, 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
- 19,600 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 18,200 ha
- Overall change
- −1,430 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Lahad Datu shrank from about 19,600 hectares to 18,200 hectares, a net loss of about 1,430 hectares (−7.3%). New forest grew on about 738 hectares, but 2,170 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 Lahad Datu
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Sandakan93.8 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 69%
- Air quality
- 37
- Tawau99.2 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 24%
- Air quality
- 67
- Tarakan207.0 km
Indonesia
- Tree cover
- 43%
- Air quality
- 12
- Kota Kinabalu271.3 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 43%
- Air quality
- 40
- Jolo317.2 km
Philippines
- Tree cover
- 36%
- Air quality
- 19
- Bandar Seri Begawan375.7 km
Brunei
- Tree cover
- 56%
- Air quality
- 27
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Frequently asked
Questions about Lahad Datu
What is the air quality (AQI) in Lahad Datu right now?
The latest reading for Lahad Datu shows an AQI of 31 (Good), observed Nov 11, 06:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Lahad Datu today?
At AQI 31 (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 Lahad Datu been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Lahad Datu's daily AQI at 40 on average, from 26 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 85 on Nov 5. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Is Lahad Datu'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 Lahad Datu lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Lahad Datu has lost about 7,710 hectares of forest (about 11,000 football pitches): 44% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (99%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations. Forest loss is slowing down: about 283 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 378 hectares a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Lahad Datu shrank from about 19,600 hectares to 18,200 hectares, a net loss of about 1,430 hectares (−7.3%). New forest grew on about 738 hectares, but 2,170 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Lahad Datu?
Lahad Datu has an estimated 99,567 trees across the 8.62 km² of land measured — 46.2% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Lahad Datu need?
Lahad Datu has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Lahad Datu's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality comes from ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ where one reports nearby, and otherwise, as here, from the Open-Meteo / CAMS model, which may differ from street-level monitors. 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 Bandar Lahad Datu; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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