Chennai vs Delhi
Side-by-side air quality comparison between Chennai and Delhi.
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 | Chennai | Delhi |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5(µg/m³) | 16.60 | 78.20 |
| PM10(µg/m³) | 18.20 | 154.10 |
| NO₂(µg/m³) | 16.20 | 47.90 |
| SO₂(µg/m³) | 9.00 | 33.40 |
| O₃(µg/m³) | 57.00 | 43.00 |
| CO(µg/m³) | 350.00 | 545.00 |
CPCB Multi-Year History (2016–2024)
Summary
Overview
In 2024, Chennai averaged an AQI of 68 while Delhi averaged 210 — a 142-point (209%) gap, with Delhi the more polluted and Chennai the cleaner of the two. On 2281 days when both cities reported, Chennai was cleaner on 2218 of them; the average daily gap was 193 AQI points.
Seasonality & days
Chennai peaks in December, while Delhi peaks in November. Chennai logged 0% Severe days and 57.5% Good-or-Satisfactory days; Delhi was 18.7% Severe and 1.7% Good-or-Satisfactory. Longest clean-air streaks: Chennai 53 days, Delhi 3 days.
Year-over-year progress
Chennai has improved by 25 AQI points (26.9%) from 2017 to 2024; Delhi has improved by 42 AQI points (16.7%) over the same window. The worst recorded day for Chennai reached AQI 391 at Kodungaiyur (TNPCB) on 2021-05-14; Delhi hit AQI 500 at Ashok Vihar (DPCC) on 2024-11-18.
Station-level disparity
Chennai spans 9 CPCB stations with a 27-point spread (min 63, max 90); Delhi spans 39 stations with a 84-point spread (min 178, max 262).
Verdict
🏆 Chennai has better air quality with an AQI of 28 compared to Delhi's 161. That's a significant difference of 133 points.