Proportion of municipal waste recycled in Japan
Japan: Proportion of municipal waste recycled was 19.4% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Proportion of municipal waste recycled in Japan, 2000–2021
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
The most recent figure for proportion of municipal waste recycled in Japan is 19.4%, measured in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 4.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of municipal waste recycled in Japan peaked at 20.5% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 14.3%, in 2000.
That places Japan 36th out of 73 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Proportion of municipal waste recycled in Japan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 14.3% | — |
| 2001 | 15.0% | +5.0% |
| 2002 | 15.9% | +5.8% |
| 2003 | 16.8% | +5.8% |
| 2004 | 17.6% | +4.4% |
| 2005 | 19.0% | +8.0% |
| 2006 | 19.6% | +3.1% |
| 2007 | 20.3% | +3.6% |
| 2008 | 19.3% | -4.8% |
| 2009 | 18.9% | -2.4% |
| 2010 | 19.1% | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 20.3% | +6.6% |
| 2012 | 20.3% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 20.4% | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 20.5% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 20.4% | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 20.1% | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 19.8% | -1.4% |
| 2018 | 19.6% | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 19.2% | -2.0% |
| 2020 | 19.4% | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 19.4% | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 17.7% | 14.3% | 20.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.0% | 19.1% | 20.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.4% | 19.4% | 19.4% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More environment data for Japan
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -4.51 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -4.8 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.358 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.86 °C (2025)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, per unit of GDP 0 1000 USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, per capita 0.0093 1000 USD per person (2024)
- Graphic papers — Import quantity, annual growth rate -2.82 % change on previous year (2024)
- Graphic papers — Import quantity, per unit of GDP 0 t per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Graphic papers — Import quantity, per capita 0.0042 t per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of municipal waste recycled in Japan?
- Proportion of municipal waste recycled in Japan was 19.4% in 2021, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest proportion of municipal waste recycled recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 20.5% in 2014.
- What is the lowest proportion of municipal waste recycled recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.3% in 2000.
- How does Japan rank for proportion of municipal waste recycled?
- Japan ranks 36th out of 73 countries with data for 2021.
- Is proportion of municipal waste recycled rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Japan 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 — 22 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).