Waste - Municipal waste: generation and treatment — Total waste in Japan
Japan: Waste - Municipal waste: generation and treatment — Total waste was 71.08 Index in 2023. ▼ Falling
Waste - Municipal waste: generation and treatment — Total waste in Japan, 1980–2023
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Index.
Analysis
The most recent figure for waste - municipal waste: generation and treatment — total waste in Japan is 71.08 Index, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 39 years on record.
The figure is down 4.8% on the previous year and down 13.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, waste - municipal waste: generation and treatment — total waste in Japan peaked at 100 Index in 2000 and was at its lowest, 71.08 Index, in 2023.
That places Japan 34th out of 35 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 39 years of available data.
Waste - Municipal waste: generation and treatment — Total waste in Japan, year by year
| Year | Index | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 80.13 Index | — |
| 1985 | 76.77 Index | -4.2% |
| 1986 | 79.14 Index | +3.1% |
| 1987 | 82.75 Index | +4.6% |
| 1988 | 86.62 Index | +4.7% |
| 1989 | 90 Index | +3.9% |
| 1990 | 91.65 Index | +1.8% |
| 1991 | 93.25 Index | +1.7% |
| 1992 | 92.83 Index | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 93.5 Index | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 94.47 Index | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 95.24 Index | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 96.49 Index | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 96.84 Index | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 97.76 Index | +1.0% |
| 1999 | 97.93 Index | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 100 Index | +2.1% |
| 2001 | 99.72 Index | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 98.84 Index | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 98.98 Index | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 97.34 Index | -1.6% |
| 2005 | 96.15 Index | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 94.88 Index | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 92.67 Index | -2.3% |
| 2008 | 87.73 Index | -5.3% |
| 2009 | 84.35 Index | -3.9% |
| 2010 | 82.72 Index | -1.9% |
| 2011 | 82.85 Index | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 82.49 Index | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 81.84 Index | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 80.82 Index | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 80.21 Index | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 78.73 Index | -1.8% |
| 2017 | 78.23 Index | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 77.92 Index | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 77.94 Index | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 75.99 Index | -2.5% |
| 2021 | 74.69 Index | -1.7% |
| 2023 | 71.08 Index | -4.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 82.57 Index | 76.77 Index | 90 Index | 6 |
| 1990s | 95 Index | 91.65 Index | 97.93 Index | 10 |
| 2000s | 95.07 Index | 84.35 Index | 100 Index | 10 |
| 2010s | 80.38 Index | 77.92 Index | 82.85 Index | 10 |
| 2020s | 73.92 Index | 71.08 Index | 75.99 Index | 3 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More environment data for Japan
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -4.51 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -4.8 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.358 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.86 °C (2025)
- Other paper and paperboard — Import quantity, annual growth rate -2.85 % change on previous year (2024)
- Other paper and paperboard — Import quantity, per capita 0.0034 t per person (2024)
- Other paper and paperboard — Import value, annual growth rate -7.32 % change on previous year (2024)
- Other paper and paperboard — Import value, per capita 0.0052 1000 USD per person (2024)
- Other paper and paperboard, not elsewhere specified — Import -20.37 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is waste - municipal waste: generation and treatment — total waste in Japan?
- Waste - municipal waste: generation and treatment — total waste in Japan was 71.08 Index in 2023, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest waste - municipal waste: generation and treatment — total waste recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 100 Index in 2000.
- What is the lowest waste - municipal waste: generation and treatment — total waste recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 71.08 Index in 2023.
- How does Japan rank for waste - municipal waste: generation and treatment — total waste?
- Japan ranks 34th out of 35 countries with data for 2023.
- Is waste - municipal waste: generation and treatment — total waste rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Waste - Municipal waste: generation and treatment — Total waste generated. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 39 observations, free to reuse under OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required).
About this data
This dataset presents trends in amounts of municipal waste generated (including household waste), and the treatment and disposal method used. The amount of waste generated in each country is related to the rate of urbanisation, the types and pattern of consumption, household revenue and lifestyles. Data source(s): OECD Annual Quality Assurance (AQA) questionnaire (jointly collected with Eurostat) for OECD countries. UNSD, Country Files from the UNSD/UNEP data collection on environment statistics (available at: https://unstats.un.org/unsd/envstats/country_files) for non-OECD countries. Contact: ENV.Stat@oecd.org Dataset release date: March, 2026 Database documentation