Municipal waste recycled in South Africa
South Africa: Municipal waste recycled was 14.20 million in 2021. β Volatile
Latest (2021)
14.20 million
Change on year
down 58.5%
World rank
5th
of 85 countries
All-time high
44.31 million
in 2018
All-time low
260,566
in 2005
Years of data
6
2005β2021
Municipal waste recycled in South Africa, 2005β2021
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 14.20 million for municipal waste recycled in 2021.
That represents a change of down 58.5% on the previous year and up 2,625.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, municipal waste recycled in South Africa peaked at 44.31 million in 2018 and was at its lowest, 260,566, in 2005.
South Africa ranks 5th of 85 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 390,705 | 260,566 | 520,844 | 2 |
| 2010s | 42.86 million | 41.42 million | 44.31 million | 2 |
| 2020s | 24.22 million | 14.20 million | 34.24 million | 2 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More environment data for South Africa
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.275 Β°C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.05 Β°C (2025)
- Recovered paper β Production 1.18 million t (2024)
- Total fibre furnish β Production 2.03 million t (2024)
- Other paper and paperboard, not elsewhere specified β Import value 30,837 1000 USD (2024)
- Other paper and paperboard, not elsewhere specified β Import quantity 7,586 t (2024)
- Other paper and paperboard β Export value 272,220 1000 USD (2024)
- Other paper and paperboard β Export quantity 385,631 t (2024)
- Other paper and paperboard β Import value 516,696 1000 USD (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is municipal waste recycled in South Africa?
- Municipal waste recycled in South Africa was 14.20 million in 2021, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest municipal waste recycled recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 44.31 million in 2018.
- What is the lowest municipal waste recycled recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 260,566 in 2005.
- How does South Africa rank for municipal waste recycled?
- South Africa ranks 5th out of 85 countries with data for 2021.
- Is municipal waste recycled rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2,625.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Municipal waste recycled. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 6 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).