Data / Rankings / Municipal waste recycling rate / EU countries

EU countries by municipal waste recycling rate

Germany had the highest municipal waste recycling rate of 27 EU countries in 2016, at 67.1%. Malta had the lowest, at 12.7%. The median was 34.8% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 45.9%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest67.1Germany
Lowest12.7Malta
Median34.827 EU countries
European Union (27)45.9History

Map of EU countries, 2016

Austria: 57.6 %Belgium: 53.5 %Bulgaria: 31.8 %Cyprus: 16.3 %Czechia: 33.6 %Germany: 67.1 %Denmark: 48.3 %Estonia: 27.9 %Spain: 33.9 %Finland: 42.1 %France: 39.7 %Greece: 17.2 %Croatia: 21 %Hungary: 34.7 %Ireland: 40.7 %Italy: 45.9 %Lithuania: 48 %Luxembourg: 49.2 %Latvia: 25.2 %Malta: 12.7 %Netherlands: 53.5 %Poland: 34.8 %Portugal: 30.9 %Romania: 13.4 %Sweden: 48.4 %Slovenia: 55.5 %Slovakia: 23 %
  • Under 23
  • 23 to 34
  • 34 to 42
  • 42 to 49
  • 49 and over
%, 2016. Source: Eurostat, Recycling rate of municipal waste (cei_wm011). Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain).

All EU countries, 2016

Germany: 67.1 %Germany67.1Austria: 57.6 %Austria57.6Slovenia: 55.5 %Slovenia55.5Belgium: 53.5 %Belgium53.5Netherlands: 53.5 %Netherlands53.5Luxembourg: 49.2 %Luxembourg49.2Sweden: 48.4 %Sweden48.4Denmark: 48.3 %Denmark48.3Lithuania: 48 %Lithuania48Italy: 45.9 %Italy45.9Finland: 42.1 %Finland42.1Ireland: 40.7 %Ireland40.7France: 39.7 %France39.7Poland: 34.8 %Poland34.8Hungary: 34.7 %Hungary34.7Spain: 33.9 %Spain33.9Czechia: 33.6 %Czechia33.6Bulgaria: 31.8 %Bulgaria31.8Portugal: 30.9 %Portugal30.9Estonia: 27.9 %Estonia27.9Latvia: 25.2 %Latvia25.2Slovakia: 23 %Slovakia23Croatia: 21 %Croatia21Greece: 17.2 %Greece17.2Cyprus: 16.3 %Cyprus16.3Romania: 13.4 %Romania13.4Malta: 12.7 %Malta12.7Germany: 67.1 %Germany67.1Austria: 57.6 %Austria57.6Slovenia: 55.5 %Slovenia55.5Belgium: 53.5 %Belgium53.5Netherlands: 53.5 %Netherlands53.5Luxembourg: 49.2 %Luxembourg49.2Sweden: 48.4 %Sweden48.4Denmark: 48.3 %Denmark48.3Lithuania: 48 %Lithuania48Italy: 45.9 %Italy45.9Finland: 42.1 %Finland42.1Ireland: 40.7 %Ireland40.7France: 39.7 %France39.7Poland: 34.8 %Poland34.8Hungary: 34.7 %Hungary34.7Spain: 33.9 %Spain33.9Czechia: 33.6 %Czechia33.6Bulgaria: 31.8 %Bulgaria31.8Portugal: 30.9 %Portugal30.9Estonia: 27.9 %Estonia27.9Latvia: 25.2 %Latvia25.2Slovakia: 23 %Slovakia23Croatia: 21 %Croatia21Greece: 17.2 %Greece17.2Cyprus: 16.3 %Cyprus16.3Romania: 13.4 %Romania13.4Malta: 12.7 %Malta12.7
%. Source: Eurostat, Recycling rate of municipal waste (cei_wm011). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankEU countries2016 (%)Change on 2015
1Germany67.1+0.4 pts
2Austria57.6+0.7 pts
3Slovenia Estimated55.5+1.4 pts
4Belgium53.50 pts
4Netherlands53.5+1.7 pts
6Luxembourg Series break49.2+1.8 pts
7Sweden48.4+0.8 pts
8Denmark48.3+0.9 pts
9Lithuania Series break48+14.8 pts
10Italy45.9+1.6 pts
11Finland42.1+1.5 pts
12Ireland40.7n/a
13France Estimated39.7-1 pts
14Poland Estimated34.8+2.3 pts
15Hungary34.7+2.5 pts
16Spain33.9+3.9 pts
17Czechia Estimated33.6+3.9 pts
18Bulgaria31.8+2.4 pts
19Portugal30.9+1.1 pts
20Estonia27.9-0.4 pts
21Latvia25.2-3.5 pts
22Slovakia23+8.1 pts
23Croatia21+3 pts
24Greece17.2+1.4 pts
25Cyprus16.3-0.4 pts
26Romania13.4+0.1 pts
27Malta12.7+1.8 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Municipal waste recycled, including composting and anaerobic digestion, as a percentage of municipal waste generated.

Stricter EU calculation rules apply from reference year 2020 in some countries; Eurostat marks those changes as series breaks.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the EU countries are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

Eurostat. Recycling rate of municipal waste (cei_wm011). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/cei_wm011/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

Eurostat, European Commission. (2026). Recycling rate of municipal waste (cei_wm011) (EU countries by municipal waste recycling rate, 2016) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/cei_wm011/default/table

MLA 9

Recycling rate of municipal waste (cei_wm011), EU countries by municipal waste recycling rate, 2016. Eurostat, European Commission, 30 Mar. 2026, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/cei_wm011/default/table. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/municipal-waste-recycling-rate/eu-countries?period=2016. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

Eurostat, European Commission. 2026. Recycling rate of municipal waste (cei_wm011). EU countries by municipal waste recycling rate, 2016. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/cei_wm011/default/table. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/municipal-waste-recycling-rate/eu-countries?period=2016.

Harvard

Eurostat, European Commission (2026) Recycling rate of municipal waste (cei_wm011), EU countries by municipal waste recycling rate, 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/cei_wm011/default/table, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/municipal-waste-recycling-rate/eu-countries?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_municipal_2016,
  author = {{Eurostat, European Commission}},
  title = {{Recycling rate of municipal waste (cei\_wm011): EU countries by municipal waste recycling rate, 2016}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/cei_wm011/default/table},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/municipal-waste-recycling-rate/eu-countries?period=2016. Publisher attribution: Eurostat. Recycling rate of municipal waste (cei\_wm011). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/cei\_wm011/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - Eurostat, European Commission
TI  - Recycling rate of municipal waste (cei_wm011): EU countries by municipal waste recycling rate, 2016
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/03/30
PB  - Eurostat, European Commission
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/cei_wm011/default/table
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/municipal-waste-recycling-rate/eu-countries?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/municipal-waste-recycling-rate/eu-countries?period=2016.
N1  - Publisher attribution: Eurostat. Recycling rate of municipal waste (cei_wm011). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/cei_wm011/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
Embed this chart

Paste this code into a web page or a blog post. The chart shows the latest figures as they are published, with the source and a link back to this page.

Sites that read oEmbed links, such as WordPress, can show the chart when you paste the link to this page.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank EU countries by municipal waste recycling rate using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"municipal_waste_recycling_rate","level":"country","within":"European Union (27)","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=municipal_waste_recycling_rate&level=country&within=European%20Union%20(27)&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

Which EU country has the highest municipal waste recycling rate?

Germany, with 67.1% in 2016, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which EU country has the lowest municipal waste recycling rate?

Malta, with 12.7% in 2016.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Eurostat, European Commission, Recycling rate of municipal waste (cei_wm011). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

EU countries: more rankings