New Delhi: Delhi has been ranked the most polluted capital in the world, while Gurugram is the most polluted city, according to a Greenpeace report.

According to the latest data compiled in the IQ Air Visual 2018 World Air Quality Report and interactive world’s most polluted cities ranking, which is prepared in collaboration with Greenpeace Southeast Asia in order to reveal the state of particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution in 2018, Delhi had an average yearly PM2.5 concentration at 113.5 micrograms per cubic metre.

The report is based on air quality data collected in 2018 from public monitoring sources, with a special focus on data which has been published in real-time or near real-time.

“These sources include government monitoring networks as well as validated data from air quality monitors operated by private individuals and organisations”, the reported stated.

Dhaka was ranked the second-most polluted capital at 97.1 micrograms per cubic metre and Kabul was at the third position with 61.8 micrograms per cubic metre.

However, the city-based rankings differ, with Delhi taking the 11th spot as the most polluted city and Gurugram at top, with an annual average PM2.5 reading of 135.8 micrograms per cubic metre.

Ghaziabad is number 2 with 135.2 micrograms per cubic metre and Faisalabad in Pakistan is third with 130.4 micrograms per cubic metre.

Apart from this, Faridabad, Bhiwadi and Noida take the next three spots with average PM2.5 readings of 129.1, 125.4 and 123.6 micrograms per cubic metre, respectively.

According to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the annual permissible limit for PM2.5 is 40ug/m3. The annual permissible limits prescribed by the World Health Organization are even lower at 10ug/m3.​