Municipal waste recycled in Germany
Germany: Municipal waste recycled was 35.04 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
35.04 million tonnes
Change on year
down 0.6%
World rank
3rd
of 90 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
Source: United Nations Statistics Division and United Nations Environment Programme – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2023, municipal waste recycled in Germany stood at 35.04 million tonnes.
The figure is 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 3rd 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 Germany, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 27.73 million tonnes | — |
| 2001 | 27.24 million tonnes | -1.8% |
| 2002 | 29.59 million tonnes | +8.6% |
| 2003 | 28.68 million tonnes | -3.1% |
| 2004 | 27.34 million tonnes | -4.7% |
| 2005 | 28.37 million tonnes | +3.8% |
| 2006 | 28.83 million tonnes | +1.6% |
| 2007 | 30.26 million tonnes | +5.0% |
| 2008 | 30.83 million tonnes | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 30.59 million tonnes | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 30.77 million tonnes | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 31.63 million tonnes | +2.8% |
| 2012 | 32.46 million tonnes | +2.6% |
| 2013 | 31.63 million tonnes | -2.6% |
| 2014 | 33.54 million tonnes | +6.1% |
| 2015 | 34.45 million tonnes | +2.7% |
| 2016 | 34.96 million tonnes | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 34.78 million tonnes | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 33.72 million tonnes | -3.1% |
| 2019 | 33.73 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 37.47 million tonnes | +11.1% |
| 2021 | 38.47 million tonnes | +2.7% |
| 2022 | 35.24 million tonnes | -8.4% |
| 2023 | 35.04 million tonnes | -0.6% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 35.04 million tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 948,000 tonnes, 37.0× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Germany's 35.04 million tonnes is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.06 million tonnes, 33.1× the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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 South Africa 1.33 billion tonnes compare
- 2 United States 62.68 million tonnes compare
- 4 Italy 14.66 million tonnes compare
- 5 France 14.51 million tonnes compare
- 6 South Korea 13.17 million tonnes compare
More environment data for Germany
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -4.12 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -4.36 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.613 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.11 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -1.65 % 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 -0.0079 % 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 Germany?
- Municipal waste recycled in Germany was 35.04 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 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 3rd out of 90 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 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).