Municipal waste recycling rate in Germany
Germany: Municipal waste recycling rate was 47.83 Percentage in 2015. ▲ Rising
Municipal waste recycling rate in Germany, 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 Germany is 47.83 Percentage, measured in 2015. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.
The figure is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 7.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, municipal waste recycling rate in Germany peaked at 47.83 Percentage in 2015 and was at its lowest, 23.33 Percentage, in 1993.
That places Germany 1st out of 31 countries with data for 2015, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Municipal waste recycling rate in Germany, year by year
| Year | Percentage | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 23.33 Percentage | — |
| 1995 | 26.3 Percentage | +12.7% |
| 1996 | 28.63 Percentage | +8.9% |
| 1997 | 30.45 Percentage | +6.4% |
| 1998 | 31.15 Percentage | +2.3% |
| 1999 | 37.99 Percentage | +22.0% |
| 2000 | 38.14 Percentage | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 37.7 Percentage | -1.2% |
| 2002 | 41.72 Percentage | +10.7% |
| 2003 | 43.18 Percentage | +3.5% |
| 2004 | 40.44 Percentage | -6.3% |
| 2005 | 44.54 Percentage | +10.1% |
| 2006 | 45.65 Percentage | +2.5% |
| 2007 | 47.1 Percentage | +3.2% |
| 2008 | 47.04 Percentage | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 45.81 Percentage | -2.6% |
| 2010 | 45.65 Percentage | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 46.05 Percentage | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 47.42 Percentage | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 46.58 Percentage | -1.8% |
| 2014 | 47.56 Percentage | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 47.83 Percentage | +0.6% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 47.83 Percentage is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 26.24 Percentage, 1.8× the median. (27 countries reporting)
- Germany's 47.83 Percentage is above the median for high income countries, which is 26.13 Percentage, 1.8× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 29.64 Percentage | 23.33 Percentage | 37.99 Percentage | 6 |
| 2000s | 43.13 Percentage | 37.7 Percentage | 47.1 Percentage | 10 |
| 2010s | 46.85 Percentage | 45.65 Percentage | 47.83 Percentage | 6 |
Countries ranked near Germany
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)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate -1.16 % change on previous year (2024)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is municipal waste recycling rate in Germany?
- Municipal waste recycling rate in Germany was 47.83 Percentage in 2015, according to OECD (2018) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest municipal waste recycling rate recorded in Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 47.83 Percentage in 2015.
- What is the lowest municipal waste recycling rate recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.33 Percentage in 1993.
- How does Germany rank for municipal waste recycling rate?
- Germany ranks 1st out of 31 countries with data for 2015.
- Is municipal waste recycling rate rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Germany 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.