Municipal waste generated in Iceland
Iceland: Municipal waste generated was 224,000 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Municipal waste generated in Iceland, 2000–2023
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 224,000 for municipal waste generated in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.3% on the previous year and up 34.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, municipal waste generated in Iceland peaked at 247,000 in 2018 and was at its lowest, 130,000, in 2000.
That places Iceland 74th out of 80 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Municipal waste generated in Iceland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 130,000 | — |
| 2001 | 133,000 | +2.3% |
| 2002 | 137,000 | +3.0% |
| 2003 | 140,000 | +2.2% |
| 2004 | 147,000 | +5.0% |
| 2005 | 153,000 | +4.1% |
| 2006 | 171,000 | +11.8% |
| 2007 | 174,000 | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 208,000 | +19.5% |
| 2009 | 132,000 | -36.5% |
| 2010 | 154,000 | +16.7% |
| 2011 | 158,000 | +2.6% |
| 2012 | 164,000 | +3.8% |
| 2013 | 167,000 | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 175,000 | +4.8% |
| 2015 | 195,000 | +11.4% |
| 2016 | 220,000 | +12.8% |
| 2017 | 225,000 | +2.3% |
| 2018 | 247,000 | +9.8% |
| 2020 | 225,000 | -8.9% |
| 2021 | 246,000 | +9.3% |
| 2022 | 227,000 | -7.7% |
| 2023 | 224,000 | -1.3% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 224,000 is below the median for high income countries, which is 4.12 million, 5% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 224,000 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 3.60 million, 6% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Municipal waste generated in Iceland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | -36.5% | 208,000 | 132,000 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 152,500 | 130,000 | 208,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 189,444 | 154,000 | 247,000 | 9 |
| 2020s | 230,500 | 224,000 | 246,000 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More environment data for Iceland
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 3.89 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.587 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.47 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.8549 % 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 -1.93 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is municipal waste generated in Iceland?
- Municipal waste generated in Iceland was 224,000 in 2023, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest municipal waste generated recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 247,000 in 2018.
- What is the lowest municipal waste generated recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 130,000 in 2000.
- How does Iceland rank for municipal waste generated?
- Iceland ranks 74th out of 80 countries with data for 2023.
- Is municipal waste generated rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 34.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iceland 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 · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).