Total waste generation in Chile
Chile: Total waste generation was 892,986 tonnes in 2021. ▼ Falling
Total waste generation in Chile, 2000–2021
Source: United Nations Statistics Division and United Nations Environment Programme – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2021, total waste generation in Chile stood at 892,986 tonnes.
The figure is up 43.0% on the previous year and down 42.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total waste generation in Chile peaked at 1.56 million tonnes in 2009 and was at its lowest, 624,482 tonnes, in 2020.
That places Chile 16th out of 62 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 18 years of available data.
Total waste generation in Chile, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1.13 million tonnes | — |
| 2001 | 1.15 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 1.31 million tonnes | +13.7% |
| 2003 | 1.42 million tonnes | +8.4% |
| 2004 | 1.52 million tonnes | +6.8% |
| 2005 | 1.39 million tonnes | -8.1% |
| 2006 | 1.37 million tonnes | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 1.47 million tonnes | +7.5% |
| 2008 | 1.43 million tonnes | -2.4% |
| 2009 | 1.56 million tonnes | +8.9% |
| 2014 | 675,371 tonnes | -56.8% |
| 2015 | 1.12 million tonnes | +66.2% |
| 2016 | 874,585 tonnes | -22.1% |
| 2017 | 1.44 million tonnes | +64.3% |
| 2018 | 1.10 million tonnes | -23.4% |
| 2019 | 1.16 million tonnes | +5.8% |
| 2020 | 624,482 tonnes | -46.3% |
| 2021 | 892,986 tonnes | +43.0% |
Chile compared with similar countries
- Chile's 892,986 tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 293,977 tonnes, 3.0× the median. (39 countries reporting)
- Chile's 892,986 tonnes is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 4,300 tonnes, 207.7× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.37 million tonnes | 1.13 million tonnes | 1.56 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.06 million tonnes | 675,371 tonnes | 1.44 million tonnes | 6 |
| 2020s | 758,734 tonnes | 624,482 tonnes | 892,986 tonnes | 2 |
Countries ranked near Chile
More environment data for Chile
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -2.67 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -0.3357 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.266 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.82 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.1 % 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 0.202 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total waste generation in Chile?
- Total waste generation in Chile was 892,986 tonnes in 2021, according to United Nations Statistics Division and United Nations Environment Programme – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest total waste generation recorded in Chile?
- The highest recorded value was 1.56 million tonnes in 2009.
- What is the lowest total waste generation recorded in Chile?
- The lowest recorded value was 624,482 tonnes in 2020.
- How does Chile rank for total waste generation?
- Chile ranks 16th out of 62 countries with data for 2021.
- Is total waste generation rising or falling in Chile?
- Over the last ten years it is down 42.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Chile data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division and United Nations Environment Programme – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Total waste generation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 18 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total waste generation, by activity (Tonnes).