Air quality comparison · India, 1741 km apart
Bengaluru vs New Delhi Air quality index (AQI) today
Bengaluru has cleaner air than New Delhi right now: AQI 171 (Unhealthy) against 270 (Very unhealthy).
That puts them in different EPA bands, so the health advice differs today. Over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Bengaluru averaged AQI 77 against 198, and it was the cleaner of the two on 7 of those days. Bengaluru has lost more forest since 2001. New Delhi has more tree cover.
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Bengaluru171New Delhi270
Head to head
Bengaluru vs New Delhi at a glance
Bengaluru and New Delhi are level, each ahead on 3 of 6 measures. The better figure in each row is marked.
| Bengaluru | New Delhi | |
|---|---|---|
| Air quality nowUS AQI. Lower is better. | 171 (better) | 270 |
| PM2.5Fine particles, µg/m³. | 84 (better) | 195 |
| Past week's averageUS AQI, 7 days. | 77 (better) | 198 |
| Forest lost since 2001Within 10 km of the center. | 2 ha | 2 ha (better) |
| Tree coverWithin 2 km of the center. | 36.7% | 56.6% (better) |
| Trees still neededTo reach a healthy canopy. | 10.4K | 0 (better) |
Air quality today
What is the air like in Bengaluru and New Delhi right now?
Bengaluru has cleaner air than New Delhi right now: AQI 171 (Unhealthy) against 270 (Very unhealthy). PM2.5 is setting the index in both.
Bengaluru's PM2.5 is about 5.6× the WHO's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³. New Delhi's PM2.5 is about 13× the WHO's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³.
Both readings come from nearby ground stations.
BengaluruNew Delhi
Concentrations at the same moment as the index above, for the pollutants both places report. Lower is better. The dark marks on the PM2.5 and PM10 rows show the WHO's 24-hour guidelines (15 and 45 µg/m³).
Bengaluru: Ground station · Hombegowda Nagar, Bengaluru - KSPCB, 3.7 km away · median of 8 stations. Data: OpenAQ · CPCB, Central Pollution Control Board, Government of India (GODL-India).
New Delhi: Ground station · New Delhi, 1.9 km away · median of 18 stations. Data: OpenAQ · AirNow, CPCB, Central Pollution Control Board, Government of India (GODL-India).
The past week
Which had cleaner air over the past 7 days?
Over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Bengaluru averaged AQI 77 against 198, and it was the cleaner of the two on 7 of those days. A single reading can catch a city on a bad afternoon; the week says whether it was the weather or the place.
- Cleaner days
- Bengaluru7New Delhi0
- Average AQI
- Bengaluru77New Delhi198
- Worst day, AQI
- Bengaluru115New Delhi227
The daily numbers (7 days)
| Day | Bengaluru | New Delhi |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 5 | 62 | 227 |
| Nov 6 | 47 | 205 |
| Nov 7 | 54 | 173 |
| Nov 8 | 58 | 180 |
| Nov 9 | 95 | 185 |
| Nov 10 | 115 | 214 |
| Nov 11 | 109 | 204 |
Daily averages from the CAMS atmospheric model for both places, so the week compares like with like. They can differ from today's reading at the top of the page wherever that comes from a ground station.
What it means today
Is it safe to go outside in Bengaluru and New Delhi today?
Bengaluru (AQI 171, Unhealthy): Everyone should limit long outdoor exertion; sensitive groups more so.
New Delhi (AQI 270, Very unhealthy): Health alert — everyone should avoid long outdoor exertion.
Exercise outdoors
- Bengaluru
- Everyone should cut down long or hard exercise; sensitive groups should avoid it.
- New Delhi
- Everyone should avoid long or hard exercise outdoors; sensitive groups, all outdoor exertion.
Windows
Keep them closed.
Masks
- Bengaluru
- Wear an N95 outdoors.
- New Delhi
- Wear an N95 if you go out.
Air purifier
- Bengaluru
- Run one.
- New Delhi
- Run one on high.
Against everywhere else
How do Bengaluru and New Delhi compare with the rest of the world?
Right now Bengaluru's air is cleaner than 6% of the 5,420 places Airleaf tracks, and New Delhi's is cleaner than 2%. Within India, that is 28% and 6% of its 471 measured places.
Cleaner air than…
- Bengaluru
- Beats 6%
- New Delhi
- Beats 2%
More tree cover than…
- Bengaluru
- Beats 79%
- New Delhi
- Beats 95%
Includes model estimates as well as station readings, so it can differ from our most polluted and cleanest air rankings, which use station readings only.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
Which has lost more forest, Bengaluru or New Delhi?
Bengaluru has lost more: about 2 ha of forest within 10 km of its center from 2001 to 2025, against 2 ha around New Delhi. under 1 ha of that was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
Measured within 10 km of each center, from the yearly satellite maps of forest loss: a wider circle than the one for tree cover, because forest is usually lost at a city's edges.
Worst year: 2011, with 1 ha lost.
Worst year: 2007, with under 1 ha lost.
| Bengaluru | New Delhi | |
|---|---|---|
| Forest lost since 2001Cleared, burned or logged. | 2 ha | 2 ha (better) |
| Cleared for goodTurned into farms, mines or towns. | under 1 ha (better) | 1 ha |
| Recent trend2021–2025 against the five years before. | Too little to call | Too little to call |
| Main known cause | Towns and roads (26%) | Towns and roads (65%) |
Satellite timelapses
Watch both change, year by year
A clear satellite photo a year of the land around each city. Press play, turn on the forest cleared since the first year, or drag the before and after.
Bengaluru
2017: satellite photo from February 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
New Delhi
2017: satellite photo from April 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
Trees
Which has more trees, Bengaluru or New Delhi?
New Delhi has more tree cover: 56.6% of the land within 2 km of its center against 36.7% around Bengaluru, or about 177,814 trees against 115,296.
The dark mark is each place's canopy target: 30% of the land, raised where air quality is poor.
| Bengaluru | New Delhi | |
|---|---|---|
| Trees standingEstimated from the canopy area. | 115K | 178K (better) |
| Trees still neededTo reach the target. Fewer is better. | 10.4K | 0 (better) |
| CO₂ absorbed each yearBy the trees already standing. | 2.5M kg | 3.9M kg (better) |
Tree cover on the satellite image
The same 2 km radius around each center, with the tree cover the satellite found marked on it.
Reading these numbers
How this comparison is made
Air quality index
The US EPA index, computed from current pollutant concentrations: ground stations where a place has them nearby, and the CAMS atmospheric model everywhere else. It moves hour to hour, so it is a snapshot rather than a verdict on either place. The guideline marks are from the WHO's 2021 air quality guidelines.
Trees and forest
Tree cover is the share of ground under canopy within 2 km of each center, read from Sentinel-2 satellite imagery at 10 m detail. It measures that circle, not the whole municipality, which is what makes the two comparable. Forest loss comes from the University of Maryland's Global Forest Change maps.
More on the method on the About Airleaf page.
Frequently asked
Bengaluru vs New Delhi: your questions answered
Is Bengaluru cleaner than New Delhi?
On air quality, yes, right now: Bengaluru reads AQI 171 against 270, a gap of 99 points on the US EPA index. This is a live reading rather than an annual average, so it can reverse within a day. Over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Bengaluru averaged AQI 77 against 198, and it was the cleaner of the two on 7 of those days.
Is it safe to exercise outdoors in Bengaluru and New Delhi today?
In Bengaluru, at AQI 171: Everyone should limit long outdoor exertion; sensitive groups more so. In New Delhi, at AQI 270: Health alert — everyone should avoid long outdoor exertion.
Which has lost more forest, Bengaluru or New Delhi?
Bengaluru has lost more: about 2 ha of forest within 10 km of its center from 2001 to 2025, against 2 ha around New Delhi. under 1 ha of that was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
Which has more trees, Bengaluru or New Delhi?
New Delhi has more tree cover: 56.6% of the land within 2 km of its center against 36.7% around Bengaluru, or about 177,814 trees against 115,296. Both figures describe the same-sized circle of ground around each center, not the whole municipality.
How many more trees do Bengaluru and New Delhi need?
Bengaluru needs about 10,367 more to reach its canopy target of 40%, and New Delhi about 0 to reach 45%. The target starts at 30% of the land and rises where air quality is poor.
Are Bengaluru and New Delhi measured the same way?
The method is the same: the US EPA index for air, and Sentinel-2 satellite imagery at 10 m detail over an identical radius for trees. Both readings come from nearby ground stations. Nothing is adjusted for population, city limits or climate.
How often does the Bengaluru vs New Delhi comparison update?
The air readings refresh about once an hour, and each reading's local time is shown at the top of the page. Tree cover comes from the latest clear satellite image of each area (Oct 14, 2026 and Oct 10, 2026), and the forest figures are published yearly.
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