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 2017, at 67.2%. Malta had the lowest, at 11.5%. The median was 36.1% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 46.3%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

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Highest67.2Germany
Lowest11.5Malta
Median36.127 EU countries
European Union (27)46.3History

Map of EU countries, 2017

Austria: 57.8 %Belgium: 53.9 %Bulgaria: 34.6 %Cyprus: 16.5 %Czechia: 32.1 %Germany: 67.2 %Denmark: 47.6 %Estonia: 28.2 %Spain: 36.1 %Finland: 40.5 %France: 40.2 %Greece: 18.9 %Croatia: 23.6 %Hungary: 35 %Ireland: 40.4 %Italy: 47.8 %Lithuania: 48.1 %Luxembourg: 48.9 %Latvia: 24.8 %Malta: 11.5 %Netherlands: 54.6 %Poland: 33.8 %Portugal: 29.1 %Romania: 14 %Sweden: 46.8 %Slovenia: 57.8 %Slovakia: 29.8 %
  • Under 25
  • 25 to 34
  • 34 to 40
  • 40 to 49
  • 49 and over
%, 2017. Source: Eurostat, Recycling rate of municipal waste (cei_wm011). Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain).

All EU countries, 2017

Germany: 67.2 %Germany67.2Austria: 57.8 %Austria57.8Slovenia: 57.8 %Slovenia57.8Netherlands: 54.6 %Netherlands54.6Belgium: 53.9 %Belgium53.9Luxembourg: 48.9 %Luxembourg48.9Lithuania: 48.1 %Lithuania48.1Italy: 47.8 %Italy47.8Denmark: 47.6 %Denmark47.6Sweden: 46.8 %Sweden46.8Finland: 40.5 %Finland40.5Ireland: 40.4 %Ireland40.4France: 40.2 %France40.2Spain: 36.1 %Spain36.1Hungary: 35 %Hungary35Bulgaria: 34.6 %Bulgaria34.6Poland: 33.8 %Poland33.8Czechia: 32.1 %Czechia32.1Slovakia: 29.8 %Slovakia29.8Portugal: 29.1 %Portugal29.1Estonia: 28.2 %Estonia28.2Latvia: 24.8 %Latvia24.8Croatia: 23.6 %Croatia23.6Greece: 18.9 %Greece18.9Cyprus: 16.5 %Cyprus16.5Romania: 14 %Romania14Malta: 11.5 %Malta11.5Germany: 67.2 %Germany67.2Austria: 57.8 %Austria57.8Slovenia: 57.8 %Slovenia57.8Netherlands: 54.6 %Netherlands54.6Belgium: 53.9 %Belgium53.9Luxembourg: 48.9 %Luxembourg48.9Lithuania: 48.1 %Lithuania48.1Italy: 47.8 %Italy47.8Denmark: 47.6 %Denmark47.6Sweden: 46.8 %Sweden46.8Finland: 40.5 %Finland40.5Ireland: 40.4 %Ireland40.4France: 40.2 %France40.2Spain: 36.1 %Spain36.1Hungary: 35 %Hungary35Bulgaria: 34.6 %Bulgaria34.6Poland: 33.8 %Poland33.8Czechia: 32.1 %Czechia32.1Slovakia: 29.8 %Slovakia29.8Portugal: 29.1 %Portugal29.1Estonia: 28.2 %Estonia28.2Latvia: 24.8 %Latvia24.8Croatia: 23.6 %Croatia23.6Greece: 18.9 %Greece18.9Cyprus: 16.5 %Cyprus16.5Romania: 14 %Romania14Malta: 11.5 %Malta11.5
%. Source: Eurostat, Recycling rate of municipal waste (cei_wm011). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankEU countries2017 (%)Change on 2016
1Germany67.2+0.1 pts
2Austria57.8+0.2 pts
2Slovenia Estimated57.8+2.3 pts
4Netherlands54.6+1.1 pts
5Belgium53.9+0.4 pts
6Luxembourg48.9-0.3 pts
7Lithuania48.1+0.1 pts
8Italy47.8+1.9 pts
9Denmark47.6-0.7 pts
10Sweden46.8-1.6 pts
11Finland40.5-1.6 pts
12Ireland40.4-0.3 pts
13France Estimated40.2+0.5 pts
14Spain36.1+2.2 pts
15Hungary35+0.3 pts
16Bulgaria34.6+2.8 pts
17Poland Estimated33.8-1 pts
18Czechia Series break32.1-1.5 pts
19Slovakia29.8+6.8 pts
20Portugal29.1-1.8 pts
21Estonia28.2+0.3 pts
22Latvia24.8-0.4 pts
23Croatia23.6+2.6 pts
24Greece18.9+1.7 pts
25Cyprus16.5+0.2 pts
26Romania14+0.6 pts
27Malta11.5-1.2 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, 2017) [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, 2017. 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=2017. 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, 2017. 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=2017.

Harvard

Eurostat, European Commission (2026) Recycling rate of municipal waste (cei_wm011), EU countries by municipal waste recycling rate, 2017 [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=2017 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_municipal_2017,
  author = {{Eurostat, European Commission}},
  title = {{Recycling rate of municipal waste (cei\_wm011): EU countries by municipal waste recycling rate, 2017}},
  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=2017. 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, 2017
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=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/municipal-waste-recycling-rate/eu-countries?period=2017.
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  -
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Questions

Which EU country has the highest municipal waste recycling rate?

Germany, with 67.2% in 2017, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which EU country has the lowest municipal waste recycling rate?

Malta, with 11.5% in 2017.

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