Municipal waste recycling rate in France
France: Municipal waste recycling rate was 22.25 Percentage in 2015. ▲ Rising
Municipal waste recycling rate in France, 1993–2015
Source: OECD (2018) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in Percentage.
Analysis
The most recent figure for municipal waste recycling rate in France is 22.25 Percentage, measured in 2015. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.9% on the previous year and up 38.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, municipal waste recycling rate in France peaked at 22.25 Percentage in 2015 and was at its lowest, 6.94 Percentage, in 1993.
France ranks 22nd of 31 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Municipal waste recycling rate in France, year by year
| Year | Percentage | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 6.94 Percentage | — |
| 1995 | 8.78 Percentage | +26.5% |
| 1996 | 9.16 Percentage | +4.4% |
| 1997 | 10.27 Percentage | +12.1% |
| 1998 | 11.57 Percentage | +12.6% |
| 1999 | 12.48 Percentage | +7.9% |
| 2000 | 12.95 Percentage | +3.7% |
| 2001 | 13.7 Percentage | +5.8% |
| 2002 | 14.43 Percentage | +5.3% |
| 2003 | 15.05 Percentage | +4.3% |
| 2004 | 15.32 Percentage | +1.8% |
| 2005 | 16.08 Percentage | +5.0% |
| 2006 | 16.66 Percentage | +3.6% |
| 2007 | 17.22 Percentage | +3.4% |
| 2008 | 17.2 Percentage | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 17.4 Percentage | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 17.79 Percentage | +2.2% |
| 2011 | 20.62 Percentage | +15.9% |
| 2012 | 21.1 Percentage | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 21.53 Percentage | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 22.06 Percentage | +2.5% |
| 2015 | 22.25 Percentage | +0.9% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's 22.25 Percentage is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 26.24 Percentage, 85% of the median. (27 countries reporting)
- France's 22.25 Percentage is below the median for high income countries, which is 26.13 Percentage, 85% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Municipal waste recycling rate in France 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | +26.5% | 6.94 Percentage | 8.78 Percentage |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9.87 Percentage | 6.94 Percentage | 12.48 Percentage | 6 |
| 2000s | 15.6 Percentage | 12.95 Percentage | 17.4 Percentage | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.89 Percentage | 17.79 Percentage | 22.25 Percentage | 6 |
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)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate -3.66 % change on previous year (2024)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is municipal waste recycling rate in France?
- Municipal waste recycling rate in France was 22.25 Percentage in 2015, according to OECD (2018) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest municipal waste recycling rate recorded in France?
- The highest recorded value was 22.25 Percentage in 2015.
- What is the lowest municipal waste recycling rate recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.94 Percentage in 1993.
- How does France rank for municipal waste recycling rate?
- France ranks 22nd out of 31 countries with data for 2015.
- Is municipal waste recycling rate rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is up 38.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this France 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.