Municipal waste generated in Ireland

Ireland: Municipal waste generated was 3.21 million tonnes in 2020. β–² Rising

Latest (2020)
3.21 million tonnes
Change on year
up 4.0%
World rank
43rd
of 75 countries
All-time high
3.40 million tonnes
in 2007
All-time low
2.28 million tonnes
in 2000
Years of data
19
2000–2020

Municipal waste generated in Ireland, 2000–2020

01.0M2.0M3.0M2000201020202000: 2.3M tonnes2001: 2.7M tonnes2002: 2.7M tonnes2003: 2.9M tonnes2004: 3.0M tonnes2005: 3.0M tonnes2006: 3.4M tonnes2007: 3.4M tonnes2008: 3.2M tonnes2009: 3.0M tonnes2010: 2.8M tonnes2011: 2.8M tonnes2012: 2.7M tonnes2014: 2.6M tonnes2016: 2.8M tonnes2017: 2.8M tonnes2018: 2.9M tonnes2019: 3.1M tonnes2020: 3.2M tonnes

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

Analysis

In 2020, municipal waste generated in Ireland stood at 3.21 million tonnes.

That represents a change of up 4.0% on the previous year and up 12.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, municipal waste generated in Ireland peaked at 3.40 million tonnes in 2007 and was at its lowest, 2.28 million tonnes, in 2000.

That places Ireland 43rd out of 75 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 2.96 million tonnes 2.28 million tonnes 3.40 million tonnes 10
2010s 2.81 million tonnes 2.62 million tonnes 3.09 million tonnes 8
2020s 3.21 million tonnes 3.21 million tonnes 3.21 million tonnes 1

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 40 Norway 4.00 million tonnes compare
  2. 41 Qatar 3.76 million tonnes compare
  3. 42 New Zealand 3.51 million tonnes compare
  4. 44 Bulgaria 3.16 million tonnes compare
  5. 45 Serbia 3.10 million tonnes compare
  6. 46 Kenya 3.02 million tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 77 places β†’

More environment data for Ireland

All data for Ireland β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is municipal waste generated in Ireland?
Municipal waste generated in Ireland was 3.21 million tonnes in 2020, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
What is the highest municipal waste generated recorded in Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 3.40 million tonnes in 2007.
What is the lowest municipal waste generated recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 2.28 million tonnes in 2000.
How does Ireland rank for municipal waste generated?
Ireland ranks 43rd out of 75 countries with data for 2020.
Is municipal waste generated rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is up 12.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Ireland 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.

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CSV Β· JSON β€” 19 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).

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Municipal waste generated in Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 15 August 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/municipal-waste-generated-tonnes/ireland/

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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