Air quality
Air quality in Bengaluru today
Updated
Moderate (US AQI 59) Acceptable for most people. Unusually sensitive people should consider shortening long or heavy exertion outdoors. Model estimate for Mon, Oct 26, 7:30 am (02:00 UTC).
Live AQI, PM2.5, PM10 and ozone for Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, with a 48-hour forecast and the best time to be outside.
- US AQI now
- 59 Moderate
- PM2.5
- 34 µg/m³ 2.3× WHO 24-h guideline
- PM10
- 37 µg/m³
- Ozone
- 69 µg/m³
- Dominant pollutant
- PM2.5 sub-index 59
- Best hour today
- 7:30 am AQI 59
- European AQI
- 51
Air quality in Bengaluru right now
Right now the modelled US Air Quality Index for Bengaluru, Karnataka, India is 59, which falls in the "Moderate" band (up to 100). Acceptable for most people. Unusually sensitive people should consider shortening long or heavy exertion outdoors.
The index is driven mainly by PM2.5, whose own sub-index is 59. Fine and coarse particles come from traffic, heating, industry, dust and smoke; they build up on calm nights and clear when wind or rain arrives.
PM2.5 is 34 µg/m³, 2.3 times the WHO 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³; PM10 is 37 µg/m³ against a guideline of 45; ozone is 69 µg/m³ (below the WHO 8-hour level of 100); nitrogen dioxide is 21 µg/m³ (below the 24-hour guideline of 25).
Also this hour: UV index 0.7, carbon monoxide 595 µg/m³.
Bengaluru AQI forecast: next 48 hours
Over the next 24 hours the AQI is forecast to range from 59 around Mon 7:30 am to 113 around Mon 5:30 pm, from "Moderate" at best to "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" at worst.
The following day is expected to be worse, averaging about 100 against 85 for the next 24 hours.
| Local time (Asia/Kolkata) | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ | PM10 µg/m³ | Ozone µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 7:30 am | 59 | Moderate | 33.9 | 37 | 69 |
| Mon 10:30 am | 67 | Moderate | 35.6 | 40 | 143 |
| Mon 1:30 pm | 73 | Moderate | 27.6 | 31 | 163 |
| Mon 4:30 pm | 106 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 26.4 | 29 | 117 |
| Mon 7:30 pm | 97 | Moderate | 34.9 | 36 | 64 |
| Mon 10:30 pm | 85 | Moderate | 40.4 | 41 | 37 |
| Tue 1:30 am | 91 | Moderate | 43.7 | 45 | 48 |
| Tue 4:30 am | 96 | Moderate | 29.7 | 31 | 64 |
| Tue 7:30 am | 98 | Moderate | 32.8 | 34 | 72 |
| Tue 10:30 am | 96 | Moderate | 25.3 | 28 | 147 |
| Tue 1:30 pm | 94 | Moderate | 24.7 | 27 | 185 |
| Tue 4:30 pm | 123 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 26.4 | 28 | 114 |
| Tue 7:30 pm | 106 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 37 | 39 | 47 |
| Tue 10:30 pm | 95 | Moderate | 46.7 | 49 | 32 |
| Wed 1:30 am | 95 | Moderate | 32.2 | 35 | 70 |
| Wed 4:30 am | 93 | Moderate | 28.9 | 32 | 88 |
| Wed 7:30 am | 93 | Moderate | 32.8 | 35 | 76 |
Every third hour of the CAMS forecast via Open-Meteo. US AQI uses rolling averages (24 h for particles, 8 h for ozone), so it moves more slowly than the hourly concentrations.
Best time to be outside in Bengaluru today
Between 6 am and 9 pm local time, the cleanest air today is forecast around 7:30 am (AQI 59, Moderate) and the worst around 5:30 pm (AQI 113). That is a swing of 54 points, so a run or walk around 7:30 am is noticeably better.
Bengaluru vs the rest of India
Across 245 India cities we track, the average US AQI right now is 116 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups). Bengaluru at 59 is 57 points cleaner than average.
It ranks 25 of 245 from cleanest to most polluted; the cleanest is Dindigul (28) and the most polluted Karnāl (447).
For context, the median across 3,556 cities worldwide is 58.
Air quality in cities near Bengaluru
| City | Distance | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yelahanka | 14 km | 62 | Moderate | 37.8 |
| Tumkūr | 67 km | 71 | Moderate | 32.7 |
| Mysuru | 128 km | 53 | Moderate | 28.9 |
| Salem | 159 km | 51 | Moderate | 23.7 |
| Vellore | 167 km | 74 | Moderate | 42.3 |
| Erode | 182 km | 46 | Good | 14.9 |
| Rānipet | 189 km | 74 | Moderate | 42.3 |
| Wellington, Tamil Nadu | 199 km | 45 | Good | 16.2 |
Model vs measured
We found no measured PM2.5 sensor cell within 25 km of Bengaluru, so the numbers on this page are model estimates. Models capture regional pollution well but can miss very local sources such as a busy road or a nearby fire.
Wildfire smoke
PM2.5 is forecast to reach 44 µg/m³ in the next 24 hours while NASA satellites detected 21 fire hotspots within 300 km in the last day (nearest about 152 km away). Smoke is a likely contributor: keep windows closed, run an air purifier or HVAC filter, and check the fire map before heading out.
Advice for sensitive groups
At 59, most people are fine outdoors. If you are unusually sensitive to PM2.5, keep long or intense workouts to the cleaner hours shown above.
What the US AQI numbers mean
| US AQI | Category | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 0-50 | Good | Air quality is satisfactory and poses little or no risk; a good time for outdoor activity. |
| 51-100 | Moderate | Acceptable for most people. Unusually sensitive people should consider shortening long or heavy exertion outdoors. |
| 101-150 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | People with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teens should cut back on prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors. |
| 151-200 | Unhealthy | Everyone should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors; sensitive groups should avoid it and keep windows closed. |
| 201-300 | Very Unhealthy | Health alert: everyone should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors, and sensitive groups should stay indoors. |
| 301-500 | Hazardous | Emergency conditions: everyone should avoid all outdoor physical activity and stay indoors with filtered air if possible. The scale tops out at 500; heavier dust or smoke is shown as 500. |
Values on this page are modelled by CAMS (Copernicus) and served by Open-Meteo; they are estimates for the area around the city centre, not readings from an official monitor.
Nearby cities
More for Bengaluru
Air quality elsewhere
Data: Open-Meteo Air Quality API, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), NASA FIRMS.