Total waste generation in Spain
Spain: Total waste generation was 6.04 million tonnes in 2022. ▼ Falling
Total waste generation in Spain, 2004–2022
Source: United Nations Statistics Division and United Nations Environment Programme – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Spain recorded 6.04 million tonnes for total waste generation in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.5% on the previous year and up 9.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total waste generation in Spain peaked at 17.99 million tonnes in 2004 and was at its lowest, 5.50 million tonnes, in 2012.
Spain ranks 7th of 62 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 10 years of available data.
Total waste generation in Spain, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 17.99 million tonnes | — |
| 2006 | 15.15 million tonnes | -15.8% |
| 2008 | 11.36 million tonnes | -25.1% |
| 2010 | 5.82 million tonnes | -48.8% |
| 2012 | 5.50 million tonnes | -5.5% |
| 2014 | 5.82 million tonnes | +5.8% |
| 2016 | 6.27 million tonnes | +7.8% |
| 2018 | 6.26 million tonnes | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 6.33 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 6.04 million tonnes | -4.5% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 6.04 million tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 293,977 tonnes, 20.6× the median. (39 countries reporting)
- Spain's 6.04 million tonnes is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 289,947 tonnes, 20.8× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 14.83 million tonnes | 11.36 million tonnes | 17.99 million tonnes | 3 |
| 2010s | 5.93 million tonnes | 5.50 million tonnes | 6.27 million tonnes | 5 |
| 2020s | 6.19 million tonnes | 6.04 million tonnes | 6.33 million tonnes | 2 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More environment data for Spain
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -1.67 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -1.4 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.402 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.3 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -0.4277 % 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 -0.5136 % 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 Spain?
- Total waste generation in Spain was 6.04 million tonnes in 2022, 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 Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 17.99 million tonnes in 2004.
- What is the lowest total waste generation recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.50 million tonnes in 2012.
- How does Spain rank for total waste generation?
- Spain ranks 7th out of 62 countries with data for 2022.
- Is total waste generation rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Spain 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 — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total waste generation, by activity (Tonnes).