Total waste generation in Iran
Iran: Total waste generation was 45.00 million tonnes in 2023. ▬ Flat
Latest (2023)
45.00 million tonnes
Change on year
up 2.3%
World rank
3rd
of 62 countries
All-time high
45.20 million tonnes
in 2018
All-time low
44.00 million tonnes
in 2022
Years of data
6
2018–2023
Total waste generation in Iran, 2018–2023
Source: United Nations Statistics Division and United Nations Environment Programme – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2023, total waste generation in Iran stood at 45.00 million tonnes.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.3% on the previous year and down 0.4% over ten years.
That places Iran 3rd out of 62 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
Total waste generation in Iran, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 45.20 million tonnes | — |
| 2019 | 45.00 million tonnes | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 44.35 million tonnes | -1.4% |
| 2021 | 44.50 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 44.00 million tonnes | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 45.00 million tonnes | +2.3% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 45.00 million tonnes is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 23,600 tonnes, 1906.8× the median. (17 countries reporting)
- Iran's 45.00 million tonnes is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 445,212 tonnes, 101.1× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 45.10 million tonnes | 45.00 million tonnes | 45.20 million tonnes | 2 |
| 2020s | 44.46 million tonnes | 44.00 million tonnes | 45.00 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iran
More environment data for Iran
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -30.46 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -21.27 Percentage change (2025)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 6.21 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e) 4.44 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual -0.2318 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total waste generation in Iran?
- Total waste generation in Iran was 45.00 million tonnes in 2023, 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 Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 45.20 million tonnes in 2018.
- What is the lowest total waste generation recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 44.00 million tonnes in 2022.
- How does Iran rank for total waste generation?
- Iran ranks 3rd out of 62 countries with data for 2023.
- Is total waste generation rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Iran 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 — 6 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total waste generation, by activity (Tonnes).