Municipal waste recycled in France
France: Municipal waste recycled was 14.51 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
14.51 million tonnes
Change on year
down 0.7%
World rank
5th
of 90 countries
All-time high
15.65 million tonnes
in 2021
All-time low
7.67 million tonnes
in 2000
Years of data
24
2000–2023
Municipal waste recycled in France, 2000–2023
Source: United Nations Statistics Division and United Nations Environment Programme – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
France recorded 14.51 million tonnes for municipal waste recycled in 2023.
The figure is down 0.7% on the previous year and up 9.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, municipal waste recycled in France peaked at 15.65 million tonnes in 2021 and was at its lowest, 7.67 million tonnes, in 2000.
France ranks 5th of 90 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 France, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 7.67 million tonnes | — |
| 2001 | 8.40 million tonnes | +9.6% |
| 2002 | 8.92 million tonnes | +6.2% |
| 2003 | 8.79 million tonnes | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 9.39 million tonnes | +6.8% |
| 2005 | 9.67 million tonnes | +3.0% |
| 2006 | 10.42 million tonnes | +7.7% |
| 2007 | 11.16 million tonnes | +7.2% |
| 2008 | 11.66 million tonnes | +4.4% |
| 2009 | 12.15 million tonnes | +4.2% |
| 2010 | 12.47 million tonnes | +2.7% |
| 2011 | 12.79 million tonnes | +2.6% |
| 2012 | 13.01 million tonnes | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 13.23 million tonnes | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 13.61 million tonnes | +2.9% |
| 2015 | 13.99 million tonnes | +2.8% |
| 2016 | 14.66 million tonnes | +4.8% |
| 2017 | 15.01 million tonnes | +2.3% |
| 2018 | 15.23 million tonnes | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 15.35 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 14.18 million tonnes | -7.6% |
| 2021 | 15.65 million tonnes | +10.3% |
| 2022 | 14.60 million tonnes | -6.7% |
| 2023 | 14.51 million tonnes | -0.7% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's 14.51 million tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 948,000 tonnes, 15.3× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- France's 14.51 million tonnes is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.06 million tonnes, 13.7× the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 9.82 million tonnes | 7.67 million tonnes | 12.15 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.94 million tonnes | 12.47 million tonnes | 15.35 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.73 million tonnes | 14.18 million tonnes | 15.65 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near France
More environment data for France
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -2.44 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -3.44 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.427 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.31 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -3.23 % 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 -0.1777 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is municipal waste recycled in France?
- Municipal waste recycled in France was 14.51 million tonnes in 2023, according to United Nations Statistics Division and United Nations Environment Programme – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest municipal waste recycled recorded in France?
- The highest recorded value was 15.65 million tonnes in 2021.
- What is the lowest municipal waste recycled recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.67 million tonnes in 2000.
- How does France rank for municipal waste recycled?
- France ranks 5th out of 90 countries with data for 2023.
- Is municipal waste recycled rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this France data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division and United Nations Environment Programme – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Municipal waste recycled. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Municipal waste recycled (Tonnes).