Agra vs Chennai

Agra leads Chennai by 3 points on the CIRA Index, 58 to 55. Agra grades better on 3 measures, Chennai on 4; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Agra 58, Chennai 55
• OECD: Agra 55, Chennai 54
• UN Tourism: Agra 59, Chennai 58
• UNDRR: Agra 41, Chennai 41

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Agra 88, Chennai 71
• Economy and jobs: Agra 63, Chennai 63
• Climate and hazards: Agra 15, Chennai 20
• Water and environment: Agra 44, Chennai 50
• Community and housing: Agra 100, Chennai 75
• Access and continuity: Agra 50, Chennai 55

Where Agra is stronger

• Recovery against 2019: 121.2 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (region figure) (Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department / Indian Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Studies, 2024). At or above 110: grade 4/4.
• Economic diversity: 75.3 % of employment outside accommodation, food, retail and transport (region figure) (Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) Annual Report 2023-24, July 2023–June 2024). Between 72 and 80: grade 3/4.
• Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source partly ring-fenced for residents, infrastructure or sustainability (India Today & UP Tourism, 2024–2026). Grade 3/4.

Where Chennai is stronger

• Unemployment rate: 4.4 % of the labour force (National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), Government of India, Labour Market Dynamics in Million-plus Cities (based on Periodic Labour Force Surve, 2025). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
• Flood hazard: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4.
• Wastewater safely treated: 88.2 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (metro figure) (DT Next / Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB), 2024). Between 85 and 95: grade 3/4.
• Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Chennai Port Authority / Southern Railway / AAI / NHAI, 2024–2026). At or above 4: grade 4/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• India: #31 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• India: #31 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Agra in full · Chennai in full

The CIRA Index ranking · City vs city · How the index works · CIRA Studio · Put your city in the pilot