Municipal waste recycled in Spain
Spain: Municipal waste recycled was 9.32 million in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
9.32 million
Change on year
down 5.7%
World rank
8th
of 91 countries
All-time high
10.06 million
in 2008
All-time low
4.88 million
in 2000
Years of data
24
2000–2023
Municipal waste recycled in Spain, 2000–2023
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
Spain recorded 9.32 million for municipal waste recycled in 2023.
The figure is down 5.7% on the previous year and up 35.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, municipal waste recycled in Spain peaked at 10.06 million in 2008 and was at its lowest, 4.88 million, in 2000.
Spain ranks 8th of 91 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Municipal waste recycled in Spain, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 4.88 million | — |
| 2001 | 5.70 million | +16.7% |
| 2002 | 7.72 million | +35.5% |
| 2003 | 7.83 million | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 7.95 million | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 8.05 million | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 8.17 million | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 7.99 million | -2.1% |
| 2008 | 10.06 million | +25.8% |
| 2009 | 8.33 million | -17.2% |
| 2010 | 6.94 million | -16.6% |
| 2011 | 6.05 million | -12.8% |
| 2012 | 6.52 million | +7.7% |
| 2013 | 6.89 million | +5.7% |
| 2014 | 6.42 million | -6.8% |
| 2015 | 6.34 million | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 7.29 million | +15.0% |
| 2017 | 7.95 million | +9.0% |
| 2018 | 7.73 million | -2.8% |
| 2019 | 8.45 million | +9.3% |
| 2020 | 8.86 million | +4.8% |
| 2021 | 9.99 million | +12.8% |
| 2022 | 9.88 million | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 9.32 million | -5.7% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 9.32 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 948,000, 9.8× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Spain's 9.32 million is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.06 million, 8.8× the median. (40 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 7.67 million | 4.88 million | 10.06 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.06 million | 6.05 million | 8.45 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.51 million | 8.86 million | 9.99 million | 4 |
Countries ranked near Spain
- 5 France 14.51 million compare
- 6 Republic of Korea 13.17 million compare
- 6 South Korea 13.17 million compare
- 9 Thailand 9.31 million compare
- 10 Japan 8.04 million compare
- 11 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 7.66 million compare
- 11 United Kingdom 7.66 million compare
More environment data for Spain
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -1.67 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -1.4 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.402 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.3 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 10.36 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -0.4277 % 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 -0.5136 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is municipal waste recycled in Spain?
- Municipal waste recycled in Spain was 9.32 million in 2023, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest municipal waste recycled recorded in Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 10.06 million in 2008.
- What is the lowest municipal waste recycled recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.88 million in 2000.
- How does Spain rank for municipal waste recycled?
- Spain ranks 8th out of 91 countries with data for 2023.
- Is municipal waste recycled rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is up 35.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Spain 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).