Kuala Lumpur air quality
Malaysia · Live AQI and hourly forecast for the next 5 days · updated Sun 08:00 local time
Moderate
Acceptable. Unusually sensitive people should ease off long, intense outdoor effort.
- Next 24 hours
- 93–152US AQI, highest around Sun 19:00
- Best time outside
- Sun 13:00–16:00US AQI about 94
- PM2.5 vs WHO guideline
- 3.0×45 µg/m³ over 24 h, guideline 15
- Cigarette equivalent
- ≈ 2.1 a dayBerkeley Earth rule of thumb
- European AQI
- Moderatelevel 3 of 6
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Pollutants in Kuala Lumpur right now
| Pollutant | Now | Next 24 h vs WHO | US AQI band |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fine particles (PM2.5) | 16 µg/m³ | 3.0× | Moderate |
| Coarse particles (PM10) | 16 µg/m³ | 1.0× | Good |
| Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) | 41 µg/m³ | 1.7× | Good |
| Ozone (O3) | 30 µg/m³ | 1.7× | Good |
| Sulphur dioxide (SO2) | 27 µg/m³ | 0.6× | Good |
| Carbon monoxide (CO) | 893 µg/m³ | 0.3× | Good |
| Desert dust | 0 µg/m³ | ||
| Smoke and haze (aerosol optical depth) | 0.42 | ||
| UV index | 0.4 |
“Next 24 h vs WHO” compares the forecast with the World Health Organization’s 2021 guideline levels: 24-hour means of 15 µg/m³ for PM2.5, 45 for PM10, 25 for NO2, 40 for SO2 and 4 mg/m³ for CO, and 100 µg/m³ over 8 hours for ozone. Above 1× is above the guideline.
Next 48 hours
Hourly US AQI. Highest 201 around Mon 19:00, lowest 93 around Sun 22:00.
5-day air quality forecast for Kuala Lumpur
Daily range of the hourly US AQI, from lowest to highest, on a scale of 0 to 250.
| Day | US AQI | At worst | PM2.5 avg | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 27 Sept | 88–152 | 34 | ||
| Mon 28 Sept | 97–201 | 53 | ||
| Tue 29 Sept | 123–201 | 48 | ||
| Wed 30 Sept | 110–203 | 38 | ||
| Thu 1 Oct | 105–212 | 43 |
Common questions about the air in Kuala Lumpur
Is the air in Kuala Lumpur safe today?
For most people, yes. Right now the US AQI in Kuala Lumpur is 94, which counts as moderate. Acceptable. Unusually sensitive people should ease off long, intense outdoor effort. It is expected to reach 152 (unhealthy) around Sun 19:00.
When is the best time to be outside in Kuala Lumpur?
Sun 13:00–16:00. That is the cleanest stretch in the next 24 hours, with the US AQI averaging about 94. The worst hour is around Sun 19:00, at 152.
What is the main pollutant in Kuala Lumpur?
Fine particles (PM2.5). It drives the index right now, at 16 µg/m³. Tiny particles from combustion, fires and dust that reach deep into the lungs. The main driver of AQI worldwide.
How does Kuala Lumpur's air compare with the WHO guideline?
3.0 times the guideline. Over the next 24 hours PM2.5 averages about 45 µg/m³, against the World Health Organization's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³. PM10, NO2 and O3 are also forecast above their guideline levels.
How many cigarettes is a day of Kuala Lumpur's air?
About 2.1 cigarettes. Over the next 24 hours PM2.5 averages about 45 µg/m³. By Berkeley Earth's rule of thumb, 22 µg/m³ breathed for a day is roughly one cigarette.
Will air quality in Kuala Lumpur improve this week?
Today looks cleanest. Its AQI peaks at 152, against 212 on Thursday, the worst day in the forecast.
Air quality near Kuala Lumpur
- Singapore 309 km SE
- Phnom Penh 1,002 km N
- Ho Chi Minh City 1,014 km NE
- Jakarta 1,187 km SE
- Bangkok 1,188 km N
- Yangon 1,638 km N
About this forecast
Forecast from CAMS global via Open-Meteo: the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) model at about 40 km resolution (10 km inside Europe), refreshed twice a day. Models smooth out street-level peaks, so busy roads and industrial sites can be worse than shown; ground stations, where there are any nearby, show what monitors actually measure. The US AQI follows the US EPA scale and the European AQI the EEA bands. Readings for 3.14°N, 101.69°E, updated 2026-09-27 00:00 UTC.