Municipal waste recycled by country
Municipal waste recycled (Tonnes)
Countries reporting
80
Highest
62.68 million tonnes
United States
Lowest
0 tonnes
Monaco
Median
633,800 tonnes
Years covered
23
2000–2022
Data points
1,389
What the numbers show
Municipal waste recycled is currently reported for 80 countries. The highest value is 62.68 million tonnes in United States; the lowest is 0 tonnes in Monaco.
The median across all reporting countries is 633,800 tonnes, and the mean is 3.11 million tonnes.
Over the past decade 50 countries rose and 16 fell. The largest increase was in South Africa (up 2,625.8%), and the largest decrease in Ukraine (down 99.9%).
Municipal waste recycled: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 62.68 million tonnes | 2018 | up 11.5% | rising |
| 2 | Germany | 35.17 million tonnes | 2022 | up 8.3% | rising |
| 3 | Italy | 15.28 million tonnes | 2022 | up 32.7% | rising |
| 4 | France | 15.02 million tonnes | 2022 | up 15.4% | rising |
| 5 | South Africa | 14.20 million tonnes | 2021 | up 2,625.8% | volatile |
| 6 | Spain | 8.61 million tonnes | 2022 | up 32.0% | rising |
| 7 | Japan | 8.04 million tonnes | 2021 | down 12.2% | falling |
| 8 | United Kingdom | 7.74 million tonnes | 2022 | down 5.3% | rising |
| 9 | Canada | 6.75 million tonnes | 2020 | up 14.7% | rising |
| 10 | Poland | 5.49 million tonnes | 2022 | up 279.3% | volatile |
| 11 | Netherlands | 4.82 million tonnes | 2022 | up 5.9% | rising |
| 12 | Austria | 4.54 million tonnes | 2022 | up 61.2% | rising |
| 13 | Belgium | 4.41 million tonnes | 2022 | up 67.1% | rising |
| 14 | Malaysia | 4.39 million tonnes | 2020 | up 706.9% | volatile |
| 15 | Turkey | 4.32 million tonnes | 2021 | up 39.7% | rising |
| 16 | Thailand | 4.00 million tonnes | 2021 | down 20.3% | flat |
| 17 | Singapore | 3.83 million tonnes | 2021 | down 4.3% | rising |
| 18 | Switzerland | 3.10 million tonnes | 2022 | up 11.1% | rising |
| 19 | Czechia | 2.60 million tonnes | 2021 | up 356.4% | volatile |
| 20 | Australia | 2.42 million tonnes | 2021 | down 46.5% | falling |
| 21 | Denmark | 2.16 million tonnes | 2022 | up 13.0% | rising |
| 22 | Mexico | 2.10 million tonnes | 2012 | up 169.1% | rising |
| 23 | Colombia | 1.90 million tonnes | 2016 | — | rising |
| 24 | Kuwait | 1.79 million tonnes | 2021 | down 21.0% | rising |
| 25 | Norway | 1.73 million tonnes | 2022 | up 81.0% | rising |
| 26 | Sweden | 1.65 million tonnes | 2022 | down 18.8% | rising |
| 27 | Hong Kong | 1.64 million tonnes | 2019 | down 48.5% | falling |
| 28 | Portugal | 1.61 million tonnes | 2022 | up 29.2% | rising |
| 30 | Slovakia | 1.29 million tonnes | 2022 | up 479.3% | volatile |
| 31 | Hungary | 1.28 million tonnes | 2022 | up 26.4% | volatile |
| 32 | Finland | 1.27 million tonnes | 2022 | up 38.8% | rising |
| 33 | Belarus | 1.23 million tonnes | 2021 | up 257.5% | volatile |
| 34 | Argentina | 1.15 million tonnes | 2021 | up 40.4% | rising |
| 35 | Brazil | 1.02 million tonnes | 2015 | up 219.3% | volatile |
| 36 | Greece | 941,000 tonnes | 2021 | down 5.1% | rising |
| 37 | Bulgaria | 777,000 tonnes | 2022 | down 7.6% | rising |
| 38 | Romania | 712,000 tonnes | 2022 | down 4.4% | volatile |
| 39 | Slovenia | 644,000 tonnes | 2022 | up 105.8% | volatile |
| 40 | Lithuania | 637,000 tonnes | 2022 | up 104.2% | volatile |
| 41 | Kazakhstan | 636,600 tonnes | 2021 | up 890.0% | volatile |
| 42 | Croatia | 631,000 tonnes | 2022 | up 157.6% | volatile |
| 43 | Morocco | 581,712 tonnes | 2015 | up 347.5% | rising |
| 44 | Serbia | 561,000 tonnes | 2022 | — | volatile |
| 45 | Bahrain | 560,136 tonnes | 2021 | — | volatile |
| 46 | Israel | 443,353 tonnes | 2022 | up 25.4% | falling |
| 47 | Latvia | 443,000 tonnes | 2022 | up 361.5% | volatile |
| 48 | Niger | 390,000 tonnes | 2005 | up 41.9% | rising |
| 49 | Cuba | 295,300 tonnes | 2020 | up 45.1% | flat |
| 50 | United Arab Emirates | 266,356 tonnes | 2020 | down 52.9% | rising |
| 52 | Ghana | 205,662 tonnes | 2017 | up 165.4% | volatile |
| 53 | Reunion | 186,775 tonnes | 2019 | up 140.0% | volatile |
| 54 | Estonia | 167,000 tonnes | 2022 | up 135.2% | rising |
| 55 | Palestine | 119,820 tonnes | 2021 | up 698.8% | volatile |
| 56 | Cyprus | 91,000 tonnes | 2022 | up 21.3% | volatile |
| 57 | Barbados | 84,068 tonnes | 2021 | up 60.0% | volatile |
| 58 | Peru | 80,251 tonnes | 2021 | up 366.9% | volatile |
| 59 | Costa Rica | 76,000 tonnes | 2022 | up 331.8% | rising |
| 60 | Iceland | 53,000 tonnes | 2022 | up 15.2% | rising |
| 62 | Chile | 36,520 tonnes | 2018 | — | volatile |
| 63 | Bangladesh | 33,550 tonnes | 2021 | down 94.1% | volatile |
| 64 | Qatar | 18,300 tonnes | 2019 | up 33.2% | volatile |
| 66 | Guatemala | 15,400 tonnes | 2006 | up 22.2% | rising |
| 68 | Curacao | 14,193 tonnes | 2017 | down 23.1% | volatile |
| 69 | Montenegro | 14,000 tonnes | 2022 | — | flat |
| 70 | Mauritius | 13,900 tonnes | 2021 | up 15.8% | rising |
| 71 | Macao | 12,340 tonnes | 2021 | up 2,185.2% | volatile |
| 72 | French Guiana | 4,413 tonnes | 2019 | up 427.9% | volatile |
| 73 | Tanzania | 3,291 tonnes | 2015 | up 111.0% | rising |
| 74 | Dominica | 1,000 tonnes | 2016 | up 300.0% | rising |
| 75 | Bermuda | 400 tonnes | 2019 | down 74.7% | falling |
| 76 | French Polynesia | 250 tonnes | 2015 | — | volatile |
| 77 | Ukraine | 100 tonnes | 2019 | down 99.9% | volatile |
| 78 | Anguilla | 0 tonnes | 2008 | — | flat |
| 78 | Andorra | 0 tonnes | 2021 | — | flat |
| 78 | British Virgin Islands | 0 tonnes | 2005 | — | flat |
| 78 | Azerbaijan | 0 tonnes | 2021 | — | flat |
| 78 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 0 tonnes | 2017 | — | flat |
| 78 | New Zealand | 0 tonnes | 2022 | — | flat |
| 78 | North Macedonia | 0 tonnes | 2022 | — | flat |
| 78 | Monaco | 0 tonnes | 2021 | — | flat |
About this data
Municipal waste recycled (Tonnes)