Packaging waste by waste management operations in Germany
Germany: Packaging waste by waste management operations was 17.92 million Tonne in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
17.92 million Tonne
Change on year
down 5.8%
World rank
1st
of 38 countries
All-time high
19.69 million Tonne
in 2021
All-time low
13.71 million Tonne
in 1997
Years of data
27
1997–2023
Packaging waste by waste management operations in Germany, 1997–2023
Source: Eurostat. Measured in Tonne.
Analysis
Germany recorded 17.92 million Tonne for packaging waste by waste management operations in 2023.
That represents a change of down 5.8% on the previous year and up 4.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, packaging waste by waste management operations in Germany peaked at 19.69 million Tonne in 2021 and was at its lowest, 13.71 million Tonne, in 1997.
That places Germany 1st out of 38 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Packaging waste by waste management operations in Germany, year by year
| Year | Tonne | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 13.71 million Tonne | — |
| 1998 | 14.09 million Tonne | +2.8% |
| 1999 | 14.63 million Tonne | +3.8% |
| 2000 | 15.12 million Tonne | +3.4% |
| 2001 | 15.02 million Tonne | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 15.43 million Tonne | +2.8% |
| 2003 | 15.47 million Tonne | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 15.52 million Tonne | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 15.47 million Tonne | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 16.13 million Tonne | +4.3% |
| 2007 | 16.11 million Tonne | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 16.04 million Tonne | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 15.05 million Tonne | -6.2% |
| 2010 | 16.00 million Tonne | +6.3% |
| 2011 | 16.49 million Tonne | +3.0% |
| 2012 | 16.59 million Tonne | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 17.13 million Tonne | +3.3% |
| 2014 | 17.78 million Tonne | +3.8% |
| 2015 | 18.15 million Tonne | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 18.16 million Tonne | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 18.72 million Tonne | +3.1% |
| 2018 | 18.86 million Tonne | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 18.91 million Tonne | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 18.78 million Tonne | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 19.69 million Tonne | +4.9% |
| 2022 | 19.02 million Tonne | -3.4% |
| 2023 | 17.92 million Tonne | -5.8% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 17.92 million Tonne is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.14 million Tonne, 15.7× the median. (29 countries reporting)
- Germany's 17.92 million Tonne is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.13 million Tonne, 15.8× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 14.14 million Tonne | 13.71 million Tonne | 14.63 million Tonne | 3 |
| 2000s | 15.54 million Tonne | 15.02 million Tonne | 16.13 million Tonne | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.68 million Tonne | 16.00 million Tonne | 18.91 million Tonne | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.85 million Tonne | 17.92 million Tonne | 19.69 million Tonne | 4 |
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 packaging waste by waste management operations in Germany?
- Packaging waste by waste management operations in Germany was 17.92 million Tonne in 2023, according to Eurostat.
- What is the highest packaging waste by waste management operations recorded in Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 19.69 million Tonne in 2021.
- What is the lowest packaging waste by waste management operations recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.71 million Tonne in 1997.
- How does Germany rank for packaging waste by waste management operations?
- Germany ranks 1st out of 38 countries with data for 2023.
- Is packaging waste by waste management operations rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Germany data come from?
- The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Packaging waste by waste management operations. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat).