City report · Malaysia
Malacca Air quality today
Air quality in Malacca currently reads AQI 73 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 73
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 20.7
- tree cover
- 21.3%
- trees in this area
- 58.4K
- more trees needed
- 23.8K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Taman Kota Laksamana, 75200 Malacca, Malaysia (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Aug 22, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Malacca · AQI 73 (Moderate)
Malacca's tree count comes to 58,351 trees across 10.96 km² of land, 9 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 23,833 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Malacca today: AQI 73, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 22:00 local time via World Air Quality Index Project ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Bandaraya Melaka, Melaka, Malaysia, 1.9 km away
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
20.7
PM10
23.8
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 Malacca's daily AQI at 30 on average, from 19 on Nov 11 to an hourly peak of 62 on Nov 5.
This is the US EPA AQI. How it differs from Malaysia's API (IPU) · The full guide
Where Malacca stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Malacca: Below target
21.3% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 10.96 km² of land.
Trees in this area
58,351
Target trees
82,184
More trees needed
23,833
CO₂ if planted / yr
524.3 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Malacca lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Malacca has lost about 1,490 hectares of forest (about 2,100 football pitches): 40% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (over 99%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2018: satellite photo from February 2018 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km east of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1,490 haabout 2,100 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 40%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 1,490 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss is slowing down: about 36 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 58 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2007, when about 139 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 | 78 ha | under 1 ha | 78 ha |
| 2002 | 61 ha | under 1 ha | 61 ha |
| 2003 | 27 ha | under 1 ha | 27 ha |
| 2004 | 34 ha | under 1 ha | 34 ha |
| 2005 | 121 ha | 1 ha | 122 ha |
| 2006 | 54 ha | under 1 ha | 54 ha |
| 2007 | 139 ha | under 1 ha | 139 ha |
| 2008 | 72 ha | under 1 ha | 72 ha |
| 2009 | 107 ha | under 1 ha | 107 ha |
| 2010 | 21 ha | under 1 ha | 21 ha |
| 2011 | 117 ha | under 1 ha | 117 ha |
| 2012 | 69 ha | under 1 ha | 69 ha |
| 2013 | 18 ha | under 1 ha | 18 ha |
| 2014 | 72 ha | under 1 ha | 72 ha |
| 2015 | 29 ha | under 1 ha | 29 ha |
| 2016 | 68 ha | under 1 ha | 68 ha |
| 2017 | 75 ha | under 1 ha | 75 ha |
| 2018 | 46 ha | under 1 ha | 46 ha |
| 2019 | 69 ha | under 1 ha | 69 ha |
| 2020 | 35 ha | under 1 ha | 35 ha |
| 2021 | 31 ha | under 1 ha | 31 ha |
| 2022 | 29 ha | under 1 ha | 29 ha |
| 2023 | 35 ha | under 1 ha | 35 ha |
| 2024 | 24 ha | under 1 ha | 24 ha |
| 2025 | 60 ha | under 1 ha | 60 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Malacca?
- Towns and roadscleared for good87% · 1,290 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good13% · 197 ha
Also: 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
- 4,240 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 3,510 ha
- Overall change
- −737 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Malacca shrank from about 4,240 hectares to 3,510 hectares, a net loss of about 737 hectares (−17%). New forest grew on about 394 hectares, but 1,130 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 Malacca
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Muar40.2 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 27%
- Air quality
- 27
- Port Dickson61.4 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 33%
- Air quality
- 65
- Seremban68.2 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 39%
- Air quality
- 58
- Sepang77.6 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 74%
- Air quality
- 64
- Batu Pahat85.7 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 21%
- Air quality
- 52
- Kajang102.0 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 27%
- Air quality
- 83
Also compared:Malacca vs Kuala LumpurMalacca vs Johor BahruMalacca vs IpohMalacca vs Kota Bharu
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Frequently asked
Questions about Malacca
What is the air quality (AQI) in Malacca right now?
The latest reading for Malacca shows an AQI of 73 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 22:00 local time by the Bandaraya Melaka, Melaka, Malaysia ground monitoring station, 1.9 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 Malacca 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 Malacca been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Malacca's daily AQI at 30 on average, from 19 on Nov 11 to an hourly peak of 62 on Nov 5. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Is Malacca'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 Malacca lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Malacca has lost about 1,490 hectares of forest (about 2,100 football pitches): 40% 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 36 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 58 hectares a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Malacca shrank from about 4,240 hectares to 3,510 hectares, a net loss of about 737 hectares (−17%). New forest grew on about 394 hectares, but 1,130 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Malacca?
Malacca has an estimated 58,351 trees across the 10.96 km² of land measured — 21.3% tree cover, 9 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Malacca need?
Malacca needs roughly 23,833 more trees to close a 9-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 524.3 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Malacca's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Taman Kota Laksamana, 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 Kota Laksamana; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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