Municipal waste generated in Costa Rica

Costa Rica: Municipal waste generated was 1.71 million tonnes in 2023. β–Ό Falling

Latest (2023)
1.71 million tonnes
Change on year
up 5.9%
World rank
51st
of 75 countries
All-time high
1.88 million tonnes
in 2015
All-time low
1.22 million tonnes
in 2016
Years of data
14
2010–2023

Municipal waste generated in Costa Rica, 2010–2023

0500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M2010201620232010: 1.5M tonnes2011: 1.7M tonnes2012: 1.7M tonnes2013: 1.8M tonnes2014: 1.8M tonnes2015: 1.9M tonnes2016: 1.2M tonnes2017: 1.3M tonnes2018: 1.5M tonnes2019: 1.3M tonnes2020: 1.5M tonnes2021: 1.6M tonnes2022: 1.6M tonnes2023: 1.7M tonnes

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for municipal waste generated in Costa Rica is 1.71 million tonnes, measured in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.9% on the previous year and down 2.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, municipal waste generated in Costa Rica peaked at 1.88 million tonnes in 2015 and was at its lowest, 1.22 million tonnes, in 2016.

Costa Rica ranks 51st of 75 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 1.56 million tonnes 1.22 million tonnes 1.88 million tonnes 10
2020s 1.60 million tonnes 1.46 million tonnes 1.71 million tonnes 4

Countries ranked near Costa Rica

  1. 48 Slovakia 2.56 million tonnes compare
  2. 49 Oman 2.00 million tonnes compare
  3. 50 Croatia 1.83 million tonnes compare
  4. 52 Lithuania 1.28 million tonnes compare
  5. 53 El Salvador 1.24 million tonnes compare
  6. 54 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.19 million tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 77 places β†’

More environment data for Costa Rica

All data for Costa Rica β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is municipal waste generated in Costa Rica?
Municipal waste generated in Costa Rica was 1.71 million tonnes in 2023, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
What is the highest municipal waste generated recorded in Costa Rica?
The highest recorded value was 1.88 million tonnes in 2015.
What is the lowest municipal waste generated recorded in Costa Rica?
The lowest recorded value was 1.22 million tonnes in 2016.
How does Costa Rica rank for municipal waste generated?
Costa Rica ranks 51st out of 75 countries with data for 2023.
Is municipal waste generated rising or falling in Costa Rica?
Over the last ten years it is down 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Municipal waste generated (Tonnes). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

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

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Municipal waste generated in Costa Rica. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 16 August 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/municipal-waste-generated-tonnes/costa-rica/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/municipal-waste-generated-tonnes/costa-rica/">Municipal waste generated in Costa Rica</a> β€” Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Municipal waste generated (Tonnes)
Unit
tonnes
Source
United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database
Licence
UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested)
Coverage
77 places, 1,389 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed