Electronic waste generated in Australia
Australia: Electronic waste generated was 545,569 tonnes in 2022. ▲ Rising
Electronic waste generated in Australia, 2000–2022
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Australia recorded 545,569 tonnes for electronic waste generated in 2022. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.5% on the previous year and up 53.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, electronic waste generated in Australia peaked at 545,569 tonnes in 2022 and was at its lowest, 86,000 tonnes, in 2000.
Australia ranks 12th of 31 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Electronic waste generated in Australia, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 86,000 tonnes | — |
| 2005 | 169,992 tonnes | +97.7% |
| 2010 | 297,193 tonnes | +74.8% |
| 2011 | 326,811 tonnes | +10.0% |
| 2012 | 356,382 tonnes | +9.0% |
| 2013 | 384,521 tonnes | +7.9% |
| 2014 | 410,839 tonnes | +6.8% |
| 2015 | 435,037 tonnes | +5.9% |
| 2016 | 457,412 tonnes | +5.1% |
| 2017 | 477,499 tonnes | +4.4% |
| 2018 | 495,631 tonnes | +3.8% |
| 2019 | 510,599 tonnes | +3.0% |
| 2020 | 525,013 tonnes | +2.8% |
| 2021 | 537,730 tonnes | +2.4% |
| 2022 | 545,569 tonnes | +1.5% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 545,569 tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 348,926 tonnes, 1.6× the median. (10 countries reporting)
- Australia's 545,569 tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 545,569 tonnes, 1.0× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Electronic waste generated in Australia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | +97.7% | 86,000 tonnes | 169,992 tonnes |
| 2010 | +74.8% | 169,992 tonnes | 297,193 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 127,996 tonnes | 86,000 tonnes | 169,992 tonnes | 2 |
| 2010s | 415,192 tonnes | 297,193 tonnes | 510,599 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 536,104 tonnes | 525,013 tonnes | 545,569 tonnes | 3 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More environment data for Australia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -4.75 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -5.98 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.345 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.4 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate -1.03 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.6708 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate 0.0861 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is electronic waste generated in Australia?
- Electronic waste generated in Australia was 545,569 tonnes in 2022, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest electronic waste generated recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 545,569 tonnes in 2022.
- What is the lowest electronic waste generated recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 86,000 tonnes in 2000.
- How does Australia rank for electronic waste generated?
- Australia ranks 12th out of 31 countries with data for 2022.
- Is electronic waste generated rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 53.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Electronic waste generated (Tonnes). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).