Municipal waste recycled in Poland
Poland: Municipal waste recycled was 3.71 million tonnes in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
3.71 million tonnes
Change on year
down 32.4%
World rank
18th
of 90 countries
All-time high
5.50 million tonnes
in 2021
All-time low
261,000 tonnes
in 2000
Years of data
24
2000–2023
Municipal waste recycled in Poland, 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 Poland stood at 3.71 million tonnes.
The figure is down 32.4% on the previous year and up 116.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, municipal waste recycled in Poland peaked at 5.50 million tonnes in 2021 and was at its lowest, 261,000 tonnes, in 2000.
That places Poland 18th out of 90 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Municipal waste recycled in Poland, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 261,000 tonnes | — |
| 2001 | 456,000 tonnes | +74.7% |
| 2002 | 331,000 tonnes | -27.4% |
| 2003 | 274,000 tonnes | -17.2% |
| 2004 | 477,000 tonnes | +74.1% |
| 2005 | 685,000 tonnes | +43.6% |
| 2006 | 845,000 tonnes | +23.4% |
| 2007 | 943,000 tonnes | +11.6% |
| 2008 | 1.28 million tonnes | +35.8% |
| 2009 | 1.58 million tonnes | +23.7% |
| 2010 | 1.96 million tonnes | +23.9% |
| 2011 | 1.38 million tonnes | -29.6% |
| 2012 | 1.45 million tonnes | +4.6% |
| 2013 | 1.71 million tonnes | +18.3% |
| 2014 | 2.74 million tonnes | +60.1% |
| 2015 | 3.53 million tonnes | +28.8% |
| 2016 | 4.06 million tonnes | +15.0% |
| 2017 | 4.05 million tonnes | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 4.28 million tonnes | +5.8% |
| 2019 | 4.34 million tonnes | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 5.08 million tonnes | +16.8% |
| 2021 | 5.50 million tonnes | +8.4% |
| 2022 | 5.49 million tonnes | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 3.71 million tonnes | -32.4% |
Poland compared with similar countries
- Poland's 3.71 million tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 948,000 tonnes, 3.9× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Poland's 3.71 million tonnes is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.06 million tonnes, 3.5× the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 713,800 tonnes | 261,000 tonnes | 1.58 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.95 million tonnes | 1.38 million tonnes | 4.34 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.94 million tonnes | 3.71 million tonnes | 5.50 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Poland
More environment data for Poland
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.777 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.06 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -1.73 % 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 0.1029 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual -4.67 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is municipal waste recycled in Poland?
- Municipal waste recycled in Poland was 3.71 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 Poland?
- The highest recorded value was 5.50 million tonnes in 2021.
- What is the lowest municipal waste recycled recorded in Poland?
- The lowest recorded value was 261,000 tonnes in 2000.
- How does Poland rank for municipal waste recycled?
- Poland ranks 18th out of 90 countries with data for 2023.
- Is municipal waste recycled rising or falling in Poland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 116.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Poland 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).