Hazardous waste generated in Australia

Australia: Hazardous waste generated was 6.47 million tonnes in 2023. β–² Rising

Latest (2023)
6.47 million tonnes
Change on year
down 2.1%
World rank
17th
of 91 countries
All-time high
8.01 million tonnes
in 2019
All-time low
4.50 million tonnes
in 2009
Years of data
14
2007–2023

Hazardous waste generated in Australia, 2007–2023

02.0M4.0M6.0M8.0M2007201520232007: 4.8M tonnes2009: 4.5M tonnes2010: 4.6M tonnes2011: 5.0M tonnes2014: 6.0M tonnes2015: 5.4M tonnes2016: 5.8M tonnes2017: 6.5M tonnes2018: 7.9M tonnes2019: 8.0M tonnes2020: 7.4M tonnes2021: 7.4M tonnes2022: 6.6M tonnes2023: 6.5M tonnes

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in tonnes.

Analysis

Australia recorded 6.47 million tonnes for hazardous waste generated in 2023.

That represents a change of down 2.1% on the previous year and up 8.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, hazardous waste generated in Australia peaked at 8.01 million tonnes in 2019 and was at its lowest, 4.50 million tonnes, in 2009.

Australia ranks 17th of 91 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 4.65 million tonnes 4.50 million tonnes 4.80 million tonnes 2
2010s 6.15 million tonnes 4.60 million tonnes 8.01 million tonnes 8
2020s 6.95 million tonnes 6.47 million tonnes 7.38 million tonnes 4

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 14 Italy 10.09 million tonnes compare
  2. 15 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 8.45 million tonnes compare
  3. 16 Sweden 7.17 million tonnes compare
  4. 18 Republic of Korea 6.17 million tonnes compare
  5. 19 Malaysia 5.84 million tonnes compare
  6. 20 Philippines 4.82 million tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 94 places β†’

More environment data for Australia

All data for Australia β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is hazardous waste generated in Australia?
Hazardous waste generated in Australia was 6.47 million tonnes in 2023, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
What is the highest hazardous waste generated recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 8.01 million tonnes in 2019.
What is the lowest hazardous waste generated recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 4.50 million tonnes in 2009.
How does Australia rank for hazardous waste generated?
Australia ranks 17th out of 91 countries with data for 2023.
Is hazardous waste generated rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is up 8.0%. 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 Hazardous waste generated (Tonnes). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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CSV Β· JSON β€” 14 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).

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Hazardous waste generated in Australia. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 16 August 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/hazardous-waste-generated-tonnes/australia/

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About this data

Indicator
Hazardous waste generated (Tonnes)
Unit
tonnes
Source
United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database
Licence
UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested)
Coverage
94 places, 1,249 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed