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Air quality · Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur Air Quality Index (AQI) today

Modelled estimate for 20:00 local time (UTC+8), refreshed 3 Nov, 07:52 UTC+0.

150 Unhealthy for sensitive groups

Live estimate · modelled

US EPA AQI20:00 UTC+8, 3 Nov Main pollutant: PM2.5

Members of sensitive groups may experience health effects. The general public is less likely to be affected.

What to do today

  • Long walk or run outside Shorter if you have asthma or heart disease
  • Kids playing outside OK, less for kids with asthma
  • Airing the house Open
  • Mask outdoors If you are in a sensitive group

Based on the US EPA’s health statement: “Members of sensitive groups may experience health effects. The general public is less likely to be affected.” General guidance, not medical advice.

Last 24 hours and next 48

Past hours Forecast

21:00 · 141 22:00 · 135 23:00 · 117 00:00 · 90 01:00 · 77 02:00 · 70 03:00 · 65 04:00 · 62 05:00 · 61 06:00 · 61 07:00 · 63 08:00 · 74 09:00 · 86 10:00 · 85 11:00 · 80 12:00 · 75 13:00 · 72 14:00 · 73 15:00 · 78 16:00 · 105 17:00 · 133 18:00 · 136 19:00 · 112 20:00 · 150 21:00 · 153 22:00 · 145 23:00 · 130 00:00 · 129 01:00 · 131 02:00 · 115 03:00 · 90 04:00 · 71 05:00 · 60 06:00 · 56 07:00 · 57 08:00 · 65 09:00 · 74 10:00 · 76 11:00 · 72 12:00 · 70 13:00 · 69 14:00 · 69 15:00 · 77 16:00 · 108 17:00 · 133 18:00 · 136 19:00 · 115 20:00 · 119 21:00 · 149 22:00 · 145 23:00 · 117 00:00 · 94 01:00 · 89 02:00 · 81 03:00 · 78 04:00 · 75 05:00 · 73 06:00 · 72 07:00 · 67 08:00 · 71 09:00 · 76 10:00 · 75 11:00 · 72 12:00 · 70 13:00 · 68 14:00 · 67 15:00 · 69 Now

US EPA AQI per hour, UTC+8. Particles use EPA’s NowCast (a 12-hour weighted average), ozone and CO an 8-hour average. Lighter bars are the CAMS forecast.

Show as a table
TimeAQI
Mon 21:00141
Mon 22:00135
Mon 23:00117
Tue 00:0090
Tue 01:0077
Tue 02:0070
Tue 03:0065
Tue 04:0062
Tue 05:0061
Tue 06:0061
Tue 07:0063
Tue 08:0074
Tue 09:0086
Tue 10:0085
Tue 11:0080
Tue 12:0075
Tue 13:0072
Tue 14:0073
Tue 15:0078
Tue 16:00105
Tue 17:00133
Tue 18:00136
Tue 19:00112
Tue 20:00 · Now150
Tue 21:00 · Forecast153
Tue 22:00 · Forecast145
Tue 23:00 · Forecast130
Wed 00:00 · Forecast129
Wed 01:00 · Forecast131
Wed 02:00 · Forecast115
Wed 03:00 · Forecast90
Wed 04:00 · Forecast71
Wed 05:00 · Forecast60
Wed 06:00 · Forecast56
Wed 07:00 · Forecast57
Wed 08:00 · Forecast65
Wed 09:00 · Forecast74
Wed 10:00 · Forecast76
Wed 11:00 · Forecast72
Wed 12:00 · Forecast70
Wed 13:00 · Forecast69
Wed 14:00 · Forecast69
Wed 15:00 · Forecast77
Wed 16:00 · Forecast108
Wed 17:00 · Forecast133
Wed 18:00 · Forecast136
Wed 19:00 · Forecast115
Wed 20:00 · Forecast119
Wed 21:00 · Forecast149
Wed 22:00 · Forecast145
Wed 23:00 · Forecast117
Thu 00:00 · Forecast94
Thu 01:00 · Forecast89
Thu 02:00 · Forecast81
Thu 03:00 · Forecast78
Thu 04:00 · Forecast75
Thu 05:00 · Forecast73
Thu 06:00 · Forecast72
Thu 07:00 · Forecast67
Thu 08:00 · Forecast71
Thu 09:00 · Forecast76
Thu 10:00 · Forecast75
Thu 11:00 · Forecast72
Thu 12:00 · Forecast70
Thu 13:00 · Forecast68
Thu 14:00 · Forecast67
Thu 15:00 · Forecast69

Pollutants this hour

  • PM2.5 71.0 µg/m³ 24-hour mean 27.6 µg/m³ · 1.8× WHO’s 24-hour guideline (15) 150
  • PM10 71 µg/m³ 51
  • O₃ 1 µg/m³ 80
  • NO₂ 141 µg/m³ 72
  • SO₂ 77 µg/m³ 41
  • CO 4.24 mg/m³ 18

Modelled concentrations at the city’s location (CAMS). The sub-index uses the same averaging as the headline, so the highest one is the AQI.

Nearby cities

City AQI
Ipoh Perak 79
Pekanbaru Indonesia 61
Johor Bahru Johor 113
Singapore Singapore 115
Medan Indonesia 143
Batam Indonesia 115
Padang Indonesia 84

Where this number comes from

The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) forecasts air pollution worldwide on a grid (about 11 km over Europe, about 45 km elsewhere). We take the grid value at Kuala Lumpur’s coordinates and score it with the US EPA’s method. It is a model, not a measurement: a nearby monitoring station can read quite differently, especially next to busy roads or during fires and dust storms.

Full methodology · Data: CAMS via Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0); city list: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0).

  • Good 0–50
  • Moderate 51–100
  • Unhealthy for sensitive groups 101–150
  • Unhealthy 151–200
  • Very unhealthy 201–300
  • Hazardous 301–500

Questions

What is the AQI in Kuala Lumpur right now?

150 on the US EPA scale (Unhealthy for sensitive groups) at 20:00 UTC+8, 3 Nov. PM2.5 is the pollutant with the highest sub-index. This is a modelled estimate from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), not a reading from a monitoring station.

Is it safe to exercise outside in Kuala Lumpur today?

For most people, yes; people with asthma, heart or lung disease, older adults and children should take it easier. The EPA’s statement for “Unhealthy for sensitive groups”: Members of sensitive groups may experience health effects. The general public is less likely to be affected. General guidance, not medical advice.

Will the air in Kuala Lumpur get better or worse tomorrow?

Over the next 24 hours the model expects the AQI to range from 56 around 06:00 to 153 around 21:00 (3 Nov). Forecasts beyond a day are less certain.

How does Kuala Lumpur compare with other cities?

Right now it is the 98th most polluted of 849 cities we track worldwide, and 1st of 3 in Malaysia, all on the same US EPA scale.

Why does another app show a different AQI for Kuala Lumpur?

Apps differ in source (government stations, low-cost sensors or a model like this one), in scale (US EPA, European, or a national index) and in averaging (hourly or NowCast, 8-hour, 24-hour). This page uses the US EPA AQI with EPA’s NowCast for particles, computed from the CAMS forecast for the city’s location.