Electronic waste generated in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Electronic waste generated was 2.36 million tonnes in 2025. ▲ Rising
Electronic waste generated in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2010–2025
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2025, electronic waste generated in Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 2.36 million tonnes. That is the highest value across all 16 years on record.
That represents a change of up 4.4% on the previous year and up 68.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, electronic waste generated in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 2.36 million tonnes in 2025 and was at its lowest, 876,923 tonnes, in 2010.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 22nd out of 34 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.
Electronic waste generated in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 876,923 tonnes | — |
| 2011 | 978,824 tonnes | +11.6% |
| 2012 | 1.08 million tonnes | +10.7% |
| 2013 | 1.19 million tonnes | +9.8% |
| 2014 | 1.29 million tonnes | +8.8% |
| 2015 | 1.40 million tonnes | +7.9% |
| 2016 | 1.50 million tonnes | +7.4% |
| 2017 | 1.60 million tonnes | +6.9% |
| 2018 | 1.71 million tonnes | +6.3% |
| 2019 | 1.80 million tonnes | +5.7% |
| 2020 | 1.89 million tonnes | +5.0% |
| 2021 | 1.98 million tonnes | +4.6% |
| 2022 | 2.07 million tonnes | +4.4% |
| 2023 | 2.16 million tonnes | +4.5% |
| 2024 | 2.26 million tonnes | +4.5% |
| 2025 | 2.36 million tonnes | +4.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 1.34 million tonnes | 876,923 tonnes | 1.80 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.12 million tonnes | 1.89 million tonnes | 2.36 million tonnes | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More environment data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -7.11 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -6.36 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.223 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.21 °C (2025)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 305.43 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Aquaculture production 904,662 metric tons (2024)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 2.29 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Transport (Energy) 2.96 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Permanent meadows and pastures — Share in Agricultural land 72.81 % (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is electronic waste generated in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Electronic waste generated in Sub-Saharan Africa was 2.36 million tonnes in 2025, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest electronic waste generated recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 2.36 million tonnes in 2025.
- What is the lowest electronic waste generated recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 876,923 tonnes in 2010.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for electronic waste generated?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 22nd out of 34 groups with data for 2025.
- Is electronic waste generated rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 68.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa 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 — 16 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).