Proportion of municipal waste recycled in Germany
Germany: Proportion of municipal waste recycled was 47.0% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Proportion of municipal waste recycled in Germany, 2000–2022
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
Germany recorded 47.0% for proportion of municipal waste recycled in 2022.
That represents a change of up 1.1% on the previous year and down 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of municipal waste recycled in Germany peaked at 62.1% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 45.6%, in 2010.
Germany ranks 8th of 73 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Proportion of municipal waste recycled in Germany, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 52.5% | — |
| 2001 | 52.3% | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 56.1% | +7.2% |
| 2003 | 57.8% | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 56.4% | -2.3% |
| 2005 | 60.9% | +7.9% |
| 2006 | 62.1% | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 47.1% | -24.1% |
| 2008 | 47.0% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 45.8% | -2.6% |
| 2010 | 45.6% | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 46.0% | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 47.4% | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 46.1% | -2.8% |
| 2014 | 47.0% | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 48.2% | +2.5% |
| 2016 | 48.8% | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 49.0% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 49.2% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 48.0% | -2.3% |
| 2020 | 46.7% | -2.7% |
| 2021 | 46.5% | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 47.0% | +1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 53.8% | 45.8% | 62.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 47.5% | 45.6% | 49.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 46.7% | 46.5% | 47.0% | 3 |
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)
- Other paper and paperboard — Import quantity, annual growth rate 6.04 % change on previous year (2024)
- Other paper and paperboard — Import quantity, per capita 0.067 t per person (2024)
- Other paper and paperboard — Import value, annual growth rate -4.14 % change on previous year (2024)
- Other paper and paperboard — Import value, per capita 0.0598 1000 USD per person (2024)
- Other paper and paperboard, not elsewhere specified — Import 3.27 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of municipal waste recycled in Germany?
- Proportion of municipal waste recycled in Germany was 47.0% in 2022, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest proportion of municipal waste recycled recorded in Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 62.1% in 2006.
- What is the lowest proportion of municipal waste recycled recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 45.6% in 2010.
- How does Germany rank for proportion of municipal waste recycled?
- Germany ranks 8th out of 73 countries with data for 2022.
- Is proportion of municipal waste recycled rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Germany data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Proportion of municipal waste recycled (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).