Kolkata vs Lucknow
Side-by-side air quality comparison between Kolkata and Lucknow.
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 | Kolkata | Lucknow |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5(µg/m³) | 68.70 | 107.30 |
| PM10(µg/m³) | 72.60 | 189.50 |
| NO₂(µg/m³) | 22.20 | 83.80 |
| SO₂(µg/m³) | 11.50 | 28.40 |
| O₃(µg/m³) | 55.00 | 0.00 |
| CO(µg/m³) | 364.00 | 474.00 |
CPCB Multi-Year History (2016–2024)
Summary
Overview
In 2024, Kolkata averaged an AQI of 101 while Lucknow averaged 127 — a 26-point (26%) gap, with Lucknow the more polluted and Kolkata the cleaner of the two. On 2076 days when both cities reported, Kolkata was cleaner on 1668 of them; the average daily gap was 85 AQI points.
Seasonality & days
Kolkata peaks in January, while Lucknow peaks in November. Kolkata logged 1% Severe days and 47.800000000000004% Good-or-Satisfactory days; Lucknow was 6.6% Severe and 19.4% Good-or-Satisfactory. Longest clean-air streaks: Kolkata 75 days, Lucknow 45 days.
Year-over-year progress
Kolkata has improved by 76 AQI points (42.9%) from 2017 to 2024; Lucknow has improved by 89 AQI points (41.2%) over the same window. The worst recorded day for Kolkata reached AQI 453 at Rabindra Bharati University (WBPCB) on 2019-01-23; Lucknow hit AQI 500 at Lalbagh (CPCB) on 2017-11-09.
Station-level disparity
Kolkata spans 7 CPCB stations with a 56-point spread (min 95, max 151); Lucknow spans 7 stations with a 119-point spread (min 97, max 216).
Verdict
🏆 Kolkata has better air quality with an AQI of 130 compared to Lucknow's 258. That's a significant difference of 128 points.