Bangalore vs Chennai
Side-by-side air quality comparison between Bangalore and Chennai.
Live AQI from Open-Meteo CAMS (~45 km global model, updated hourly). Multi-year history from CPCB station data via aqinow.co pipeline (2016–2024, station-level daily records).
AQI Comparison
Pollutant-level comparison (PM2.5, PM10, O3, NO2, SO2, CO)▾
| Pollutant | Bangalore | Chennai |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5(µg/m³) | 5.10 | 11.70 |
| PM10(µg/m³) | 5.60 | 13.10 |
| NO₂(µg/m³) | 9.50 | 14.20 |
| SO₂(µg/m³) | 4.20 | 10.10 |
| O₃(µg/m³) | 35.00 | 56.00 |
| CO(µg/m³) | 290.00 | 308.00 |
CPCB Multi-Year History (2016–2024)
Summary
Overview
In 2024, Bangalore averaged an AQI of 74 while Chennai averaged 68 — a 6-point (9%) gap, with Bangalore the more polluted and Chennai the cleaner of the two. On 2280 days when both cities reported, Chennai was cleaner on 1390 of them; the average daily gap was 43 AQI points.
Seasonality & days
Bangalore peaks in March, while Chennai peaks in December. Bangalore logged 0.5% Severe days and 42.6% Good-or-Satisfactory days; Chennai was 0% Severe and 57.5% Good-or-Satisfactory. Longest clean-air streaks: Bangalore 31 days, Chennai 53 days.
Year-over-year progress
Bangalore has improved by 26 AQI points (26%) from 2016 to 2024; Chennai has improved by 25 AQI points (26.9%) over the same window. The worst recorded day for Bangalore reached AQI 500 at Silk Board (KSPCB) on 2024-01-10; Chennai hit AQI 391 at Kodungaiyur (TNPCB) on 2021-05-14.
Station-level disparity
Bangalore spans 14 CPCB stations with a 50-point spread (min 49, max 99); Chennai spans 9 stations with a 27-point spread (min 63, max 90).
Verdict
🏆 Bangalore has better air quality with an AQI of 9 compared to Chennai's 20.