Municipal waste recycled in Germany

Germany: Municipal waste recycled was 35.04 million tonnes in 2023. β–² Rising

Latest (2023)
35.04 million tonnes
Change on year
down 0.6%
World rank
1st
of 84 countries
All-time high
38.47 million tonnes
in 2021
All-time low
27.24 million tonnes
in 2001
Years of data
24
2000–2023

Municipal waste recycled in Germany, 2000–2023

010.0M20.0M30.0M40.0M2000201120232000: 27.7M tonnes2001: 27.2M tonnes2002: 29.6M tonnes2003: 28.7M tonnes2004: 27.3M tonnes2005: 28.4M tonnes2006: 28.8M tonnes2007: 30.3M tonnes2008: 30.8M tonnes2009: 30.6M tonnes2010: 30.8M tonnes2011: 31.6M tonnes2012: 32.5M tonnes2013: 31.6M tonnes2014: 33.5M tonnes2015: 34.5M tonnes2016: 35.0M tonnes2017: 34.8M tonnes2018: 33.7M tonnes2019: 33.7M tonnes2020: 37.5M tonnes2021: 38.5M tonnes2022: 35.2M tonnes2023: 35.0M tonnes

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

Analysis

In 2023, municipal waste recycled in Germany stood at 35.04 million tonnes.

That represents a change of down 0.6% on the previous year and up 10.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, municipal waste recycled in Germany peaked at 38.47 million tonnes in 2021 and was at its lowest, 27.24 million tonnes, in 2001.

Germany ranks 1st of 84 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 28.95 million tonnes 27.24 million tonnes 30.83 million tonnes 10
2010s 33.17 million tonnes 30.77 million tonnes 34.96 million tonnes 10
2020s 36.56 million tonnes 35.04 million tonnes 38.47 million tonnes 4

Countries ranked near Germany

  1. 2 Italy 14.66 million tonnes compare
  2. 3 France 14.51 million tonnes compare
  3. 4 Republic of Korea 13.17 million tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 88 places β†’

More environment data for Germany

All data for Germany β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is municipal waste recycled in Germany?
Municipal waste recycled in Germany was 35.04 million tonnes in 2023, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
What is the highest municipal waste recycled recorded in Germany?
The highest recorded value was 38.47 million tonnes in 2021.
What is the lowest municipal waste recycled recorded in Germany?
The lowest recorded value was 27.24 million tonnes in 2001.
How does Germany rank for municipal waste recycled?
Germany ranks 1st out of 84 countries with data for 2023.
Is municipal waste recycled rising or falling in Germany?
Over the last ten years it is up 10.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Germany data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Municipal waste recycled (Tonnes). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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CSV Β· JSON β€” 24 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).

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Municipal waste recycled in Germany. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 16 August 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/municipal-waste-recycled-tonnes/germany/

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About this data

Indicator
Municipal waste recycled (Tonnes)
Unit
tonnes
Source
United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database
Licence
UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested)
Coverage
88 places, 1,491 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed