Proportion of municipal waste recycled in United States of America
United States of America: Proportion of municipal waste recycled was 23.6% in 2018. ▲ Rising
Proportion of municipal waste recycled in United States of America, 2000–2018
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in %.
Analysis
United States of America recorded 23.6% for proportion of municipal waste recycled in 2018.
The figure is down 5.2% on the previous year and down 3.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of municipal waste recycled in United States of America peaked at 26.5% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 21.8%, in 2000.
United States of America ranks 34th of 81 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
Proportion of municipal waste recycled in United States of America, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 21.8% | — |
| 2001 | 22.1% | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 22.1% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 22.7% | +2.9% |
| 2004 | 22.9% | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 23.3% | +2.1% |
| 2006 | 24.1% | +3.1% |
| 2007 | 24.6% | +2.2% |
| 2008 | 24.5% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 25.3% | +3.3% |
| 2010 | 26.0% | +2.6% |
| 2011 | 26.5% | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 26.0% | -2.0% |
| 2013 | 25.5% | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 25.6% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 25.8% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 25.6% | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 24.9% | -2.5% |
| 2018 | 23.6% | -5.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 23.3% | 21.8% | 25.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.5% | 23.6% | 26.5% | 9 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
More environment data for United States of America
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -2.64 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -2.16 Percentage change (2025)
- Exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -2.91 Percentage change (2024)
- Exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -3.62 Percentage change (2024)
- Heating Degree Days 6,193 (2024)
- Cooling Degree Days 1,199 (2024)
- Total fisheries production 4.68 million metric tons (2024)
- Capture fisheries production 4.21 million metric tons (2024)
- Aquaculture production 467,617 metric tons (2024)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Waste 9.94 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of municipal waste recycled in United States of America?
- Proportion of municipal waste recycled in United States of America was 23.6% in 2018, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest proportion of municipal waste recycled recorded in United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 26.5% in 2011.
- What is the lowest proportion of municipal waste recycled recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.8% in 2000.
- How does United States of America rank for proportion of municipal waste recycled?
- United States of America ranks 34th out of 81 countries with data for 2018.
- Is proportion of municipal waste recycled rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States of America 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
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