Municipal waste recycling rate in Sweden
Sweden: Municipal waste recycling rate was 32.37 Percentage in 2015. ▲ Rising
Municipal waste recycling rate in Sweden, 1990–2015
Source: OECD (2018) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in Percentage.
Analysis
The most recent figure for municipal waste recycling rate in Sweden is 32.37 Percentage, measured in 2015.
The figure is down 3.1% on the previous year and down 5.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, municipal waste recycling rate in Sweden peaked at 37.27 Percentage in 2006 and was at its lowest, 12.5 Percentage, in 1990.
Sweden ranks 5th of 31 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Municipal waste recycling rate in Sweden, year by year
| Year | Percentage | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 12.5 Percentage | — |
| 1994 | 18.16 Percentage | +45.3% |
| 1995 | 20.12 Percentage | +10.8% |
| 1996 | 23.42 Percentage | +16.4% |
| 1997 | 25.09 Percentage | +7.1% |
| 1998 | 27.25 Percentage | +8.6% |
| 1999 | 28.99 Percentage | +6.4% |
| 2000 | 28.92 Percentage | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 29.05 Percentage | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 31.21 Percentage | +7.4% |
| 2003 | 31.61 Percentage | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 33.49 Percentage | +5.9% |
| 2005 | 34.24 Percentage | +2.2% |
| 2006 | 37.27 Percentage | +8.9% |
| 2007 | 35.82 Percentage | -3.9% |
| 2008 | 34.13 Percentage | -4.7% |
| 2009 | 36.75 Percentage | +7.7% |
| 2010 | 34.37 Percentage | -6.5% |
| 2011 | 33.11 Percentage | -3.7% |
| 2012 | 32.75 Percentage | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 33.37 Percentage | +1.9% |
| 2014 | 33.4 Percentage | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 32.37 Percentage | -3.1% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 32.37 Percentage is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 26.24 Percentage, 1.2× the median. (27 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 32.37 Percentage is above the median for high income countries, which is 26.13 Percentage, 1.2× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 22.22 Percentage | 12.5 Percentage | 28.99 Percentage | 7 |
| 2000s | 33.25 Percentage | 28.92 Percentage | 37.27 Percentage | 10 |
| 2010s | 33.23 Percentage | 32.37 Percentage | 34.37 Percentage | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More environment data for Sweden
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 1.1 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -2.12 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.852 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.72 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 0.4367 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.27 % 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 -0.0922 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is municipal waste recycling rate in Sweden?
- Municipal waste recycling rate in Sweden was 32.37 Percentage in 2015, according to OECD (2018) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest municipal waste recycling rate recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 37.27 Percentage in 2006.
- What is the lowest municipal waste recycling rate recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.5 Percentage in 1990.
- How does Sweden rank for municipal waste recycling rate?
- Sweden ranks 5th out of 31 countries with data for 2015.
- Is municipal waste recycling rate rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sweden 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 — 23 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.