Statizoid

Municipal waste recycled by country

Municipal waste recycled (Tonnes).

Countries reporting
82
Highest
1.33 billion tonnes
South Africa
Lowest
51.8 tonnes
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Median
653,450 tonnes
Years covered
25
2000–2024
Data points
1,516

What the numbers show

Municipal waste recycled is currently reported for 82 countries. The highest value is 1.33 billion tonnes in South Africa; the lowest is 51.8 tonnes in Saint Kitts and Nevis.

The median across all reporting countries is 653,450 tonnes, and the mean is 19.32 million tonnes.

Over the past decade 63 countries rose and 13 fell. The largest increase was in Kazakhstan (up 3,443.1%), and the largest decrease in Bangladesh (down 94.1%).

Municipal waste recycled: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 South Africa 1.33 billion tonnes 2023 down 28.4% volatile
2 United States 62.68 million tonnes 2018 up 11.5% rising
3 Germany 35.04 million tonnes 2023 up 10.8% rising
4 Italy 14.66 million tonnes 2023 up 25.8% rising
5 France 14.51 million tonnes 2023 up 9.6% rising
6 South Korea 13.17 million tonnes 2022 up 26.2% rising
7 Spain 9.32 million tonnes 2023 up 35.3% rising
8 Thailand 9.31 million tonnes 2023 up 85.5% rising
9 Japan 8.04 million tonnes 2021 down 12.2% falling
10 United Kingdom 7.66 million tonnes 2023 down 9.5% rising
11 Canada 6.75 million tonnes 2020 up 14.7% rising
12 Malaysia 5.40 million tonnes 2023 up 241.9% volatile
13 Netherlands 4.88 million tonnes 2023 up 10.8% rising
14 Belgium 4.53 million tonnes 2023 up 76.1% rising
15 Austria 4.48 million tonnes 2023 up 58.5% rising
16 Turkey 4.32 million tonnes 2021 up 39.7% rising
17 Singapore 3.83 million tonnes 2021 down 4.3% rising
18 Poland 3.71 million tonnes 2023 up 116.6% volatile
19 Switzerland 3.14 million tonnes 2023 up 7.8% rising
20 Czechia 2.54 million tonnes 2023 up 225.2% volatile
21 Australia 2.35 million tonnes 2023 down 44.4% falling
22 Denmark 2.10 million tonnes 2023 up 6.6% rising
23 Mexico 2.10 million tonnes 2012 up 169.1% rising
24 Hong Kong 1.97 million tonnes 2023 down 2.0% falling
25 Colombia 1.90 million tonnes 2016 — rising
26 Norway 1.67 million tonnes 2023 up 69.0% rising
27 Portugal 1.63 million tonnes 2023 up 37.4% rising
28 Sweden 1.63 million tonnes 2023 down 22.8% rising
29 Belarus 1.41 million tonnes 2023 up 220.1% volatile
30 Hungary 1.38 million tonnes 2023 up 39.3% volatile
31 Oman 1.36 million tonnes 2024 — rising
32 Ireland 1.31 million tonnes 2020 up 28.8% rising
33 Slovakia 1.29 million tonnes 2023 up 628.2% volatile
34 Finland 1.17 million tonnes 2023 up 34.2% rising
35 Kuwait 1.15 million tonnes 2023 down 43.3% rising
36 Argentina 1.04 million tonnes 2022 up 26.8% rising
37 Brazil 1.02 million tonnes 2015 up 219.3% volatile
38 Greece 948,000 tonnes 2023 up 13.7% rising
39 Romania 722,000 tonnes 2023 up 7.8% volatile
40 Croatia 660,000 tonnes 2023 up 156.8% volatile
41 Slovenia 656,000 tonnes 2023 up 120.9% volatile
42 United Arab Emirates 650,901 tonnes 2023 up 28.3% falling
43 Lithuania 632,000 tonnes 2023 up 77.5% volatile
44 Morocco 581,712 tonnes 2015 up 347.5% rising
45 Kazakhstan 566,900 tonnes 2023 up 3,443.1% volatile
46 Bahrain 560,136 tonnes 2021 — volatile
47 Bulgaria 526,000 tonnes 2023 down 41.2% rising
48 Serbia 469,000 tonnes 2023 up 1,776.0% volatile
49 Israel 467,388 tonnes 2023 up 32.2% falling
50 Latvia 443,000 tonnes 2022 up 361.5% volatile
51 Niger 390,000 tonnes 2005 up 41.9% rising
52 Cuba 295,300 tonnes 2020 up 45.1% flat
53 Luxembourg 270,000 tonnes 2023 up 74.2% rising
54 Qatar 224,000 tonnes 2023 up 91.5% rising
55 Ghana 205,662 tonnes 2017 up 165.4% volatile
56 Estonia 194,000 tonnes 2023 up 185.3% rising
57 Reunion 162,891 tonnes 2021 up 63.8% volatile
58 Costa Rica 142,200 tonnes 2023 up 708.0% volatile
59 Cyprus 100,000 tonnes 2023 up 31.6% volatile
60 Barbados 84,068 tonnes 2021 up 60.0% volatile
61 Peru 80,251 tonnes 2021 up 366.9% volatile
62 Iceland 71,000 tonnes 2023 up 42.0% rising
63 Chile 60,024 tonnes 2023 up 584.4% volatile
64 Malta 58,000 tonnes 2023 up 81.2% rising
65 Palestine 54,800 tonnes 2022 up 265.3% volatile
66 Guadeloupe 34,854 tonnes 2021 up 631.8% volatile
67 Bangladesh 33,550 tonnes 2021 down 94.1% volatile
68 Martinique 21,463 tonnes 2021 up 216.2% volatile
69 Macao 20,710 tonnes 2023 up 1,210.8% volatile
70 Guatemala 15,400 tonnes 2006 up 22.2% rising
71 Ukraine 14,900 tonnes 2023 up 58.5% volatile
72 Curacao 14,193 tonnes 2017 down 23.1% volatile
73 Mauritius 13,900 tonnes 2021 up 15.8% rising
74 Montenegro 13,000 tonnes 2023 up 8.3% falling
75 Bosnia and Herzegovina 12,000 tonnes 2023 — volatile
76 French Guiana 4,413 tonnes 2019 up 427.9% volatile
77 Tanzania 3,291 tonnes 2015 up 111.0% rising
78 Suriname 2,300 tonnes 2023 down 8.4% rising
79 Dominica 1,000 tonnes 2016 up 300.0% rising
80 Bermuda 400 tonnes 2019 down 74.7% falling
81 French Polynesia 250 tonnes 2015 — volatile
82 Saint Kitts and Nevis 51.8 tonnes 2023 — volatile

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Municipal waste recycled by country. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division and United Nations Environment Programme – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/municipal-waste-recycled/

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About this data

Indicator
Municipal waste recycled
Unit
tonnes
Source
United Nations Statistics Division and United Nations Environment Programme – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
90 places, 1,516 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

Municipal waste recycled (Tonnes).