Proportion of municipal waste recycled in Republic of Korea
Republic of Korea: Proportion of municipal waste recycled was 53.9% in 2021. ▬ Flat
Proportion of municipal waste recycled in Republic of Korea, 2008–2021
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in %.
Analysis
Republic of Korea recorded 53.9% for proportion of municipal waste recycled in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 14 years on record.
That represents a change of down 4.5% on the previous year and down 7.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of municipal waste recycled in Republic of Korea peaked at 61.6% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 53.9%, in 2021.
Republic of Korea ranks 5th of 81 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Proportion of municipal waste recycled in Republic of Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 58.4% | — |
| 2009 | 59.8% | +2.4% |
| 2010 | 59.9% | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 58.3% | -2.7% |
| 2012 | 58.4% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 58.6% | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 58.1% | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 58.4% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 59.2% | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 60.6% | +2.4% |
| 2018 | 61.6% | +1.6% |
| 2019 | 56.5% | -8.2% |
| 2020 | 56.5% | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 53.9% | -4.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 59.1% | 58.4% | 59.8% | 2 |
| 2010s | 59.0% | 56.5% | 61.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 55.2% | 53.9% | 56.5% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Republic of Korea
More environment data for Republic of Korea
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.504 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.9 °C (2025)
- Industrial roundwood — Export quantity, annual growth rate 194.15 % change on previous year (2024)
- Industrial roundwood — Export value, annual growth rate 172.3 % change on previous year (2024)
- Industrial roundwood, non-coniferous — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sawlogs and veneer logs — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sawlogs and veneer logs, non-coniferous — Production, annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Other industrial roundwood — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Other industrial roundwood, non-coniferous (production) — Production 0 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of municipal waste recycled in Republic of Korea?
- Proportion of municipal waste recycled in Republic of Korea was 53.9% in 2021, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest proportion of municipal waste recycled recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 61.6% in 2018.
- What is the lowest proportion of municipal waste recycled recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 53.9% in 2021.
- How does Republic of Korea rank for proportion of municipal waste recycled?
- Republic of Korea ranks 5th out of 81 countries with data for 2021.
- Is proportion of municipal waste recycled rising or falling in Republic of Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Republic of Korea 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 — 14 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).