{"id":31527,"date":"2026-02-19T16:46:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T08:46:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/?p=31527"},"modified":"2026-02-24T19:40:57","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T11:40:57","slug":"top-10-most-polluted-cities-in-malaysia-rankings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/blog\/top-10-most-polluted-cities-in-malaysia-rankings\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 10 Most Polluted Cities in Malaysia (2025 Rankings)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Smart Air has examined data from 2025 to generate the &#8220;10 Most Polluted Cities in Malaysia&#8221;. Are you staying in Malaysia and concerned about the harmful impacts of air pollution? If so, this article is for you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Continue reading to discover a list of Malaysia&#8217;s most polluted cities, with annual PM2.5 levels measured in micrograms per cubic meter (\u00b5g\/m\u00b3). It&#8217;s crucial to know that the WHO&#8217;s recommended annual limit is<strong> 5 micrograms<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Data Source:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.doe.gov.my\/en\/utama-english\/\">DOE<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">Rankings: Top 10 Most Polluted Cities in Malaysia in 2025<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">1. Shah Alam, Selangor (21.2 \u00b5g\/m3)<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Shah-Alam-Selangor.jpg\" alt=\"Shah Alam, one of the most polluted cities in Malaysia\" class=\"wp-image-40863\" style=\"width:900px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Shah-Alam-Selangor.jpg 900w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Shah-Alam-Selangor-600x333.jpg 600w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Shah-Alam-Selangor-300x167.jpg 300w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Shah-Alam-Selangor-768x427.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">2. Kuala Lumpur (20.6 \u00b5g\/m3)<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Kuala-Lumpur.jpg\" alt=\"Kuala Lumpur, one of the most polluted cities in Malaysia\" class=\"wp-image-40865\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Kuala-Lumpur.jpg 900w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Kuala-Lumpur-600x333.jpg 600w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Kuala-Lumpur-300x167.jpg 300w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Kuala-Lumpur-768x427.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">3. Klang, Selangor (19.8 \u00b5g\/m3)<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Klang-Selangor.jpg\" alt=\"Klang, one of the most polluted cities in Malaysia\" class=\"wp-image-40868\" style=\"width:900px;height:500px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Klang-Selangor.jpg 900w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Klang-Selangor-600x333.jpg 600w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Klang-Selangor-300x167.jpg 300w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Klang-Selangor-768x427.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sri Sundararaja Perumal Temple. Photo: Kalaivani Somiah \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">4. Perai (18.3 \u00b5g\/m3)<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Perai-Penang.jpg\" alt=\"Perai, one of the most polluted cities in Malaysia\" class=\"wp-image-40869\" style=\"object-fit:cover;width:900px;height:500px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Perai-Penang.jpg 900w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Perai-Penang-600x333.jpg 600w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Perai-Penang-300x167.jpg 300w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Perai-Penang-768x427.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">5. Petaling Jaya (17.8 \u00b5g\/m3)<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Petaling-Jaya-Selangor.jpg\" alt=\"Petaling Jaya, one of the most polluted cities in Malaysia\" class=\"wp-image-40870\" style=\"object-fit:cover;width:900px;height:500px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Petaling-Jaya-Selangor.jpg 900w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Petaling-Jaya-Selangor-600x333.jpg 600w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Petaling-Jaya-Selangor-300x167.jpg 300w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Petaling-Jaya-Selangor-768x427.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">6. Kuala Terengganu (17.3 \u00b5g\/m3)<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Kuala-Terengganu-Terengganu.jpg\" alt=\"Kuala Terengganu, one of the most polluted cities in Malaysia\" class=\"wp-image-40871\" style=\"object-fit:cover;width:900px;height:500px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Kuala-Terengganu-Terengganu.jpg 900w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Kuala-Terengganu-Terengganu-600x333.jpg 600w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Kuala-Terengganu-Terengganu-300x167.jpg 300w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Kuala-Terengganu-Terengganu-768x427.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">7. Ipoh (17.1 \u00b5g\/m3)<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Ipoh-Perak.jpg\" alt=\"Ipoh, one of the most polluted cities in Malaysia\" class=\"wp-image-40872\" style=\"object-fit:cover;width:900px;height:500px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Ipoh-Perak.jpg 900w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Ipoh-Perak-600x333.jpg 600w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Ipoh-Perak-300x167.jpg 300w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Ipoh-Perak-768x427.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">8. Johor Bahru (16.5 \u00b5g\/m3)<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Johor-Bahru-Johor.jpg\" alt=\"Johor Bahru, one of the most polluted cities in Malaysia\" class=\"wp-image-40873\" style=\"object-fit:cover;width:900px;height:500px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Johor-Bahru-Johor.jpg 900w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Johor-Bahru-Johor-600x333.jpg 600w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Johor-Bahru-Johor-300x167.jpg 300w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Johor-Bahru-Johor-768x427.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">9. Seremban (16.3 \u00b5g\/m3)<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Seremban-Negeri-Sembilan.jpg\" alt=\"Seremban, one of the most polluted cities in Malaysia\" class=\"wp-image-40874\" style=\"object-fit:cover;width:900px;height:500px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Seremban-Negeri-Sembilan.jpg 900w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Seremban-Negeri-Sembilan-600x333.jpg 600w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Seremban-Negeri-Sembilan-300x167.jpg 300w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Seremban-Negeri-Sembilan-768x427.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">10. Kota Bharu (15.9 \u00b5g\/m3)<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Kota-Bharu-Kelantan.jpg\" alt=\"Kota Bharu, one of the most polluted cities in Malaysia\" class=\"wp-image-40875\" style=\"object-fit:cover;width:900px;height:500px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Kota-Bharu-Kelantan.jpg 900w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Kota-Bharu-Kelantan-600x333.jpg 600w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Kota-Bharu-Kelantan-300x167.jpg 300w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Kota-Bharu-Kelantan-768x427.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Read more:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/blog\/15-least-polluted-cities-european-union\/\">The 15 Least Polluted Cities in the European Union<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"lyte-wrapper\" title=\"Most Polluted Cities in Malaysia: 2023 Ranking\" style=\"width:640px;max-width:100%;margin:5px auto;\"><div class=\"lyMe hidef\" id=\"WYL_k57YdB2jtnI\" itemprop=\"video\" itemscope itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/VideoObject\"><div><meta itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-youtube-lyte\/lyteCache.php?origThumbUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2Fk57YdB2jtnI%2Fmaxresdefault.jpg\" \/><meta itemprop=\"embedURL\" content=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/k57YdB2jtnI\" \/><meta itemprop=\"duration\" content=\"PT35S\" \/><meta itemprop=\"uploadDate\" content=\"2024-06-26T08:46:43Z\" \/><\/div><div id=\"lyte_k57YdB2jtnI\" data-src=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-youtube-lyte\/lyteCache.php?origThumbUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2Fk57YdB2jtnI%2Fmaxresdefault.jpg\" class=\"pL\"><div class=\"tC\"><div class=\"tT\" itemprop=\"name\">Most Polluted Cities in Malaysia: 2023 Ranking<\/div><\/div><div class=\"play\"><\/div><div class=\"ctrl\"><div class=\"Lctrl\"><\/div><div class=\"Rctrl\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><noscript><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/k57YdB2jtnI\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-youtube-lyte\/lyteCache.php?origThumbUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2Fk57YdB2jtnI%2F0.jpg\" alt=\"Most Polluted Cities in Malaysia: 2023 Ranking\" width=\"640\" height=\"340\" \/><br \/>Watch this video on YouTube<\/a><\/noscript><meta itemprop=\"description\" content=\"Watch our latest video on the &#039;10 Most Polluted Cities in Malaysia: 2023 Ranking&#039;! We explore which cities in Malaysia have the highest pollution levels. Which city do you think topped the list?\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"lL\" style=\"max-width:100%;width:640px;margin:5px auto;\"><br\/><span class=\"lyte_disclaimer\">Subscribe to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/smartairfilters?sub_confirmation=1\">Smart Air on YouTube<\/a> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/images\/smartair_youtube.ico\" alt=\"Smart Air Youtube\"\/><\/span><\/div><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">Analysis: Most Polluted Cities in Malaysia<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The PM2.5 levels in this list range from <strong>12.8 \u00b5g\/m\u00b3 (Kluang)<\/strong> to <strong>21.2 \u00b5g\/m\u00b3 (Shah Alam)<\/strong>. Most cities cluster between <strong>15\u201320 \u00b5g\/m\u00b3<\/strong>, indicating relatively moderate and consistent air quality among urban areas. While these figures are lower than heavily polluted regional hotspots in Southeast Asia, they still exceed the <strong>WHO annual guideline of 5 \u00b5g\/m\u00b3<\/strong>, meaning that even Malaysia\u2019s cleaner cities are above optimal health standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Urban and industrial hubs such as Shah Alam, Kuala Lumpur, and Klang appear toward the higher end of this \u201clowest\u201d list, likely reflecting traffic density, industrial activity, and urban development. Meanwhile, smaller or less industrialized cities such as Kluang, Alor Setar, and Malacca show comparatively lower PM2.5 levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Array<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10915,"featured_media":40876,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"3697,23549,8600,14251,12588,17480","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17,452,257],"tags":[272,278,74],"class_list":["post-31527","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-air-pollution","category-air-quality","category-pm2-5","tag-air-pollution","tag-air-quality","tag-pm2-5","resize-featured-image"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31527","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10915"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31527"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31527\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40995,"href":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31527\/revisions\/40995"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40876"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31527"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31527"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31527"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}