Patna vs Varanasi
Side-by-side air quality comparison between Patna and Varanasi.
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 | Patna | Varanasi |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5(µg/m³) | 99.00 | 43.90 |
| PM10(µg/m³) | 111.80 | 53.10 |
| NO₂(µg/m³) | 49.30 | 33.30 |
| SO₂(µg/m³) | 18.10 | 32.00 |
| O₃(µg/m³) | 19.00 | 30.00 |
| CO(µg/m³) | 704.00 | 422.00 |
CPCB Multi-Year History (2016–2024)
Summary
Overview
In 2024, Patna averaged an AQI of 172 while Varanasi averaged 56 — a 116-point (207%) gap, with Patna the more polluted and Varanasi the cleaner of the two. On 2393 days when both cities reported, Varanasi was cleaner on 1775 of them; the average daily gap was 83 AQI points.
Seasonality & days
Patna peaks in December, while Varanasi peaks in January. Patna logged 7.5% Severe days and 19.400000000000002% Good-or-Satisfactory days; Varanasi was 2.8% Severe and 36% Good-or-Satisfactory. Longest clean-air streaks: Patna 30 days, Varanasi 87 days.
Year-over-year progress
Patna has improved by 40 AQI points (18.9%) from 2016 to 2024; Varanasi has improved by 169 AQI points (75.1%) over the same window. The worst recorded day for Patna reached AQI 491 at IGSC Planetarium Complex (BSPCB) on 2016-01-01; Varanasi hit AQI 500 at Ardhali Bazar (UPPCB) on 2017-07-11.
Station-level disparity
Patna spans 6 CPCB stations with a 39-point spread (min 154, max 193); Varanasi spans 4 stations with a 94-point spread (min 71, max 165).
Verdict
🏆 Varanasi has better air quality with an AQI of 74 compared to Patna's 231. That's a significant difference of 157 points.