Municipal waste recycling rate in Finland
Finland: Municipal waste recycling rate was 28.13 Percentage in 2015. ▼ Falling
Municipal waste recycling rate in Finland, 1994–2015
Source: OECD (2018) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in Percentage.
Analysis
In 2015, municipal waste recycling rate in Finland stood at 28.13 Percentage.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 56.0% on the previous year and up 9.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, municipal waste recycling rate in Finland peaked at 30.17 Percentage in 1994 and was at its lowest, 18.04 Percentage, in 2014.
Finland ranks 9th of 31 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Municipal waste recycling rate in Finland, year by year
| Year | Percentage | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 30.17 Percentage | — |
| 1995 | 26.46 Percentage | -12.3% |
| 1996 | 25.9 Percentage | -2.1% |
| 1997 | 25.7 Percentage | -0.8% |
| 1998 | 25.36 Percentage | -1.3% |
| 1999 | 26.22 Percentage | +3.4% |
| 2000 | 24.85 Percentage | -5.2% |
| 2001 | 25.13 Percentage | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 24.8 Percentage | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 25.11 Percentage | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 25.22 Percentage | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 25.6 Percentage | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 26.03 Percentage | +1.7% |
| 2007 | 25.99 Percentage | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 25.23 Percentage | -2.9% |
| 2009 | 24 Percentage | -4.9% |
| 2010 | 19.65 Percentage | -18.1% |
| 2011 | 21.78 Percentage | +10.8% |
| 2012 | 21.51 Percentage | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 19.03 Percentage | -11.5% |
| 2014 | 18.04 Percentage | -5.2% |
| 2015 | 28.13 Percentage | +56.0% |
Finland compared with similar countries
- Finland's 28.13 Percentage is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 26.24 Percentage, 1.1× the median. (27 countries reporting)
- Finland's 28.13 Percentage is above the median for high income countries, which is 26.13 Percentage, 1.1× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Municipal waste recycling rate in Finland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | +56.0% | 18.04 Percentage | 28.13 Percentage |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 26.63 Percentage | 25.36 Percentage | 30.17 Percentage | 6 |
| 2000s | 25.2 Percentage | 24 Percentage | 26.03 Percentage | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.36 Percentage | 18.04 Percentage | 28.13 Percentage | 6 |
Countries ranked near Finland
- 6 Switzerland 31.91 Percentage compare
- 7 Italy 29.14 Percentage compare
- 8 Luxembourg 28.51 Percentage compare
- 10 United Kingdom 27.37 Percentage compare
- 11 Denmark 27.27 Percentage compare
- 12 Estonia 27.03 Percentage compare
More environment data for Finland
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 3.9 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 4.25 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.986 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.94 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 5.17 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -2.4 % 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 0.3579 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is municipal waste recycling rate in Finland?
- Municipal waste recycling rate in Finland was 28.13 Percentage in 2015, according to OECD (2018) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest municipal waste recycling rate recorded in Finland?
- The highest recorded value was 30.17 Percentage in 1994.
- What is the lowest municipal waste recycling rate recorded in Finland?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.04 Percentage in 2014.
- How does Finland rank for municipal waste recycling rate?
- Finland ranks 9th out of 31 countries with data for 2015.
- Is municipal waste recycling rate rising or falling in Finland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Finland data come from?
- The figures come from OECD (2018) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Municipal waste recycling rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Municipal (including household) waste recycling rates, measured as the percentage of total waste generated that is recycled.