Municipal waste generated (Tonnes) by country
Countries reporting
75
Highest
62.17 million tonnes
India
Lowest
16,740 tonnes
Niger
Median
4.13 million tonnes
Years covered
25
2000–2024
Data points
1,389
What the numbers show
Municipal waste generated (Tonnes) is currently reported for 75 countries. The highest value is 62.17 million tonnes in India; the lowest is 16,740 tonnes in Niger.
The median across all reporting countries is 4.13 million tonnes, and the mean is 9.29 million tonnes.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 3,714.
Over the past decade 59 countries rose and 16 fell. The largest increase was in Kenya (up 312.0%), and the largest decrease in Barbados (down 24.9%).
Municipal waste generated: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 62.17 million tonnes | 2021 | up 43.0% | rising |
| 2 | Germany | 51.02 million tonnes | 2023 | up 2.9% | flat |
| 3 | Mexico | 42.10 million tonnes | 2012 | up 30.9% | rising |
| 4 | Japan | 40.95 million tonnes | 2021 | down 9.9% | falling |
| 5 | France | 36.03 million tonnes | 2023 | up 5.4% | rising |
| 6 | Türkiye | 32.46 million tonnes | 2023 | up 5.0% | rising |
| 7 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 29.89 million tonnes | 2023 | down 3.2% | falling |
| 8 | Italy | 28.84 million tonnes | 2023 | down 2.5% | falling |
| 9 | Thailand | 26.95 million tonnes | 2023 | up 0.7% | rising |
| 10 | Republic of Korea | 23.04 million tonnes | 2022 | up 28.8% | rising |
| 11 | Spain | 22.50 million tonnes | 2023 | up 6.2% | falling |
| 12 | Iran (Islamic Republic of) | 21.65 million tonnes | 2023 | up 3.1% | flat |
| 13 | Philippines | 21.02 million tonnes | 2019 | up 19.8% | rising |
| 14 | Argentina | 19.33 million tonnes | 2022 | up 21.0% | rising |
| 15 | Malaysia | 13.94 million tonnes | 2023 | up 8.1% | rising |
| 16 | Australia | 13.48 million tonnes | 2023 | down 1.6% | flat |
| 17 | Poland | 13.45 million tonnes | 2023 | up 19.1% | rising |
| 18 | Colombia | 12.08 million tonnes | 2018 | up 32.0% | rising |
| 19 | Algeria | 11.07 million tonnes | 2021 | up 5.6% | rising |
| 20 | Uganda | 9.15 million tonnes | 2023 | up 35.8% | rising |
| 21 | Chile | 8.65 million tonnes | 2023 | up 27.0% | rising |
| 22 | Netherlands (Kingdom of the) | 8.36 million tonnes | 2023 | down 5.4% | falling |
| 23 | Peru | 8.21 million tonnes | 2021 | up 19.0% | rising |
| 24 | Belgium | 8.10 million tonnes | 2023 | up 66.5% | rising |
| 25 | Uzbekistan | 7.57 million tonnes | 2021 | up 13.3% | rising |
| 26 | Austria | 7.14 million tonnes | 2023 | up 45.6% | rising |
| 27 | United Republic of Tanzania | 6.69 million tonnes | 2023 | up 187.9% | volatile |
| 28 | Israel | 6.26 million tonnes | 2023 | up 28.7% | rising |
| 29 | Switzerland | 6.03 million tonnes | 2023 | up 5.6% | rising |
| 30 | Czechia | 5.84 million tonnes | 2023 | up 80.9% | rising |
| 31 | Romania | 5.82 million tonnes | 2023 | up 14.8% | falling |
| 32 | Ecuador | 5.46 million tonnes | 2022 | up 37.6% | rising |
| 33 | Greece | 5.44 million tonnes | 2023 | up 3.0% | rising |
| 34 | Portugal | 5.34 million tonnes | 2023 | up 16.1% | rising |
| 35 | Ghana | 5.03 million tonnes | 2017 | up 34.3% | rising |
| 36 | United Arab Emirates | 4.73 million tonnes | 2023 | down 19.8% | falling |
| 37 | Denmark | 4.51 million tonnes | 2023 | down 1.1% | rising |
| 38 | Sweden | 4.13 million tonnes | 2023 | down 5.4% | rising |
| 39 | Hungary | 4.12 million tonnes | 2023 | up 10.1% | falling |
| 40 | Norway | 4.00 million tonnes | 2023 | up 58.7% | rising |
| 41 | Qatar | 3.76 million tonnes | 2023 | up 37.4% | rising |
| 42 | New Zealand | 3.51 million tonnes | 2023 | up 30.7% | rising |
| 43 | Ireland | 3.21 million tonnes | 2020 | up 12.8% | rising |
| 44 | Bulgaria | 3.16 million tonnes | 2023 | up 0.7% | falling |
| 45 | Serbia | 3.10 million tonnes | 2023 | up 28.4% | rising |
| 46 | Kenya | 3.02 million tonnes | 2023 | up 312.0% | rising |
| 47 | Finland | 2.61 million tonnes | 2023 | down 2.6% | rising |
| 48 | Slovakia | 2.56 million tonnes | 2023 | up 55.7% | rising |
| 49 | Oman | 2.00 million tonnes | 2024 | up 97.2% | rising |
| 50 | Croatia | 1.83 million tonnes | 2023 | up 6.5% | rising |
| 51 | Costa Rica | 1.71 million tonnes | 2023 | down 2.4% | falling |
| 52 | Lithuania | 1.28 million tonnes | 2023 | up 0.2% | flat |
| 53 | El Salvador | 1.24 million tonnes | 2019 | up 21.5% | rising |
| 54 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1.19 million tonnes | 2023 | down 0.5% | falling |
| 55 | Slovenia | 1.10 million tonnes | 2023 | up 28.6% | rising |
| 56 | Jamaica | 1.05 million tonnes | 2022 | up 1.8% | flat |
| 57 | North Macedonia | 878,000 tonnes | 2023 | up 10.7% | rising |
| 58 | Latvia | 872,000 tonnes | 2022 | up 32.5% | rising |
| 59 | Albania | 844,000 tonnes | 2023 | down 10.2% | falling |
| 60 | Trinidad and Tobago | 736,455 tonnes | 2023 | down 7.6% | rising |
| 61 | Cyprus | 625,000 tonnes | 2023 | up 14.3% | rising |
| 62 | Estonia | 512,000 tonnes | 2023 | up 32.6% | falling |
| 63 | Luxembourg | 478,000 tonnes | 2023 | up 42.7% | rising |
| 64 | Burkina Faso | 457,771 tonnes | 2021 | up 42.0% | rising |
| 65 | Armenia | 433,300 tonnes | 2023 | down 16.3% | rising |
| 66 | Myanmar | 378,873 tonnes | 2021 | up 100.0% | rising |
| 67 | Montenegro | 353,000 tonnes | 2023 | up 13.9% | rising |
| 68 | Malta | 333,000 tonnes | 2023 | up 29.6% | rising |
| 69 | Barbados | 261,765 tonnes | 2021 | down 24.9% | falling |
| 70 | Iceland | 224,000 tonnes | 2023 | up 34.1% | rising |
| 71 | Brunei Darussalam | 196,170 tonnes | 2023 | up 8.9% | rising |
| 72 | Fiji | 171,229 tonnes | 2023 | up 10.2% | rising |
| 73 | Liechtenstein | 32,638 tonnes | 2023 | down 1.9% | falling |
| 74 | Dominica | 21,000 tonnes | 2021 | up 12.3% | rising |
| 75 | Niger | 16,740 tonnes | 2019 | up 31.4% | rising |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- United States of America 265.22 million tonnes
- China, Macao Special Administrative Region 532,340 tonnes