Is the air quality good in Singapore?
On October 2, 2026 at 2 AM (SGT), many air quality stations in Singapore are measuring local air quality in the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” range. The city’s air quality is “moderate” at this hour with an AQI of 96 but has been in the “unhealthy” range within the past 24 hours due to transboundary haze.
Air quality map of Singapore at 2 AM (SGT) on October 2. Source: IQAir.
Hourly air quality in Singapore from October 1 through October 2. Source: IQAir.
Air quality in Singapore and in much of Southeast Asia is being affected by forest and peatland fires in Indonesia which have been burning since early September.
Singapore's national average PM2.5 concentration in 2025 was 11.9 µg/m³, equivalent to an AQI of 50, classified as "moderate” and 2.38 times higher than the WHO annual guideline of 5 µg/m³.
Monthly air quality in Singapore. Air quality in September and early October was in the “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” range. Source: IQAir.
For a complete, real-time view of current pollution levels, see Singapore’s air quality map.
Why is there an air quality alert in Singapore?
Singapore's poor air quality is a direct consequence of Indonesia's most intense wildfire season in 11 years.
Extreme drought, driven by a powerful El Niño amplified by a positive Indian Ocean Dipole, left roughly nine-tenths of Indonesia rainless by early August. The peat soils of Sumatra and Kalimantan, landscapes that ordinarily stay too waterlogged to ignite, dried out and began to burn (1). With the southwest monsoon blowing steadily from those regions toward Singapore, haze crossed the Strait of Malacca over the following weeks.
The smoke itself is unusually toxic. Peat smolders underground at low temperatures, cooking centuries of organic soil and releasing far more fine particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, and carbon monoxide per hectare than typical vegetation fires. Those particles are small enough to ride the monsoon for hundreds of kilometers.
Singapore is likely to continue to experience haze in coming months. The El Niño event is forecast to hold into early 2027 and the soaking rains that normally end the season are unlikely to arrive before late October or November (2).
How can I protect myself from poor air quality?
- Get a free air quality app for real-time air quality alerts and forecasts.
- Shut doors and windows and set the HVAC to recirculate mode.
- Contribute to your community’s outdoor air quality data.
- Stay indoors when air quality is poor; if you do need to go outdoors, wear a KN95/FFP2 mask.
- Run a high-performance air purifier to filter particles, gases, and other pollutants.
