Municipal waste recycling rate in Italy
Italy: Municipal waste recycling rate was 29.14 Percentage in 2015. ▲ Rising
Municipal waste recycling rate in Italy, 1995–2015
Source: OECD (2018) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in Percentage.
Analysis
In 2015, municipal waste recycling rate in Italy stood at 29.14 Percentage. That is the highest value across all 21 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.7% on the previous year and up 112.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, municipal waste recycling rate in Italy peaked at 29.14 Percentage in 2015 and was at its lowest, 3.5 Percentage, in 1995.
Italy ranks 7th of 31 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.
Municipal waste recycling rate in Italy, year by year
| Year | Percentage | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 3.5 Percentage | — |
| 1996 | 4.9 Percentage | +40.1% |
| 1997 | 7.35 Percentage | +50.1% |
| 1998 | 8.71 Percentage | +18.5% |
| 1999 | 9.51 Percentage | +9.2% |
| 2000 | 10.21 Percentage | +7.4% |
| 2001 | 12.7 Percentage | +24.3% |
| 2002 | 10.55 Percentage | -16.9% |
| 2003 | 11.97 Percentage | +13.5% |
| 2004 | 13.18 Percentage | +10.1% |
| 2005 | 13.74 Percentage | +4.2% |
| 2006 | 13.7 Percentage | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 19.04 Percentage | +39.0% |
| 2008 | 16.43 Percentage | -13.7% |
| 2009 | 20.25 Percentage | +23.2% |
| 2010 | 20.02 Percentage | -1.1% |
| 2011 | 23.89 Percentage | +19.3% |
| 2012 | 24.95 Percentage | +4.5% |
| 2013 | 25.7 Percentage | +3.0% |
| 2014 | 27.82 Percentage | +8.2% |
| 2015 | 29.14 Percentage | +4.7% |
Italy compared with similar countries
- Italy's 29.14 Percentage is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 26.24 Percentage, 1.1× the median. (27 countries reporting)
- Italy's 29.14 Percentage is above the median for high income countries, which is 26.13 Percentage, 1.1× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.79 Percentage | 3.5 Percentage | 9.51 Percentage | 5 |
| 2000s | 14.18 Percentage | 10.21 Percentage | 20.25 Percentage | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.25 Percentage | 20.02 Percentage | 29.14 Percentage | 6 |
Countries ranked near Italy
- 4 Ireland 33.96 Percentage compare
- 5 Sweden 32.37 Percentage compare
- 6 Switzerland 31.91 Percentage compare
- 8 Luxembourg 28.51 Percentage compare
- 9 Finland 28.13 Percentage compare
- 10 United Kingdom 27.37 Percentage compare
More environment data for Italy
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 2.04 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 2.47 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.324 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.18 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 6.1 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -1.94 % 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 -0.2257 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is municipal waste recycling rate in Italy?
- Municipal waste recycling rate in Italy was 29.14 Percentage in 2015, according to OECD (2018) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest municipal waste recycling rate recorded in Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 29.14 Percentage in 2015.
- What is the lowest municipal waste recycling rate recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.5 Percentage in 1995.
- How does Italy rank for municipal waste recycling rate?
- Italy ranks 7th out of 31 countries with data for 2015.
- Is municipal waste recycling rate rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is up 112.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Italy 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 — 21 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.