City comparison
Delhi vs Kolkata air quality
Live AQI comparison between Delhi and Kolkata. Data updates every 15 minutes.
Delhi and Kolkata differ by 135 AQI points right now. Kolkata has cleaner air at this moment.
What drives air quality in Delhi and Kolkata
Delhi
Delhi is one of the world's most complex urban air-quality environments, shaped by transport emissions, industry, construction dust, and regional sources. Pollution can persist across large areas rather than isolated streets, especially during calm periods. Even short outdoor exposure on poor-air days may represent a meaningful health burden for vulnerable groups.
Kolkata
Kolkata experiences strong seasonal swings, with winter PM2.5 episodes driven by inversion traps, biomass burning, and congested diesel traffic across the Gangetic plain. Fine particles often dominate health risk during calm, cool nights and mornings.
Both cities are shaped by different combinations of traffic density, terrain, weather patterns, and seasonal events, which is why the same AQI band can feel different on the ground. Checking live readings rather than relying on reputation or past visits is the most reliable way to plan travel, exercise, or outdoor time between the two.
Live AQI from Open-Meteo (CAMS). Conditions change hourly — refresh for the latest readings. South African cities may show WAQI station data on their dedicated pages.