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 2019, at 66.7%. Malta had the lowest, at 9.1%. The median was 38.5% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 47.2%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

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Highest66.7Germany
Lowest9.1Malta
Median38.527 EU countries
European Union (27)47.2History

Map of EU countries, 2019

Austria: 58.2 %Belgium: 54.7 %Bulgaria: 34.6 %Cyprus: 16.9 %Czechia: 33.3 %Germany: 66.7 %Denmark: 51.5 %Estonia: 30.8 %Spain: 37.9 %Finland: 43.5 %France: 41 %Greece: 21 %Croatia: 30.2 %Hungary: 35.9 %Ireland: 37.4 %Italy: 51.4 %Lithuania: 49.7 %Luxembourg: 48.9 %Latvia: 41 %Malta: 9.1 %Netherlands: 56.9 %Poland: 34.1 %Portugal: 28.9 %Romania: 11.5 %Sweden: 46.6 %Slovenia: 59.2 %Slovakia: 38.5 %
  • Under 30
  • 30 to 37
  • 37 to 43
  • 43 to 51
  • 51 and over
%, 2019. Source: Eurostat, Recycling rate of municipal waste (cei_wm011). Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain).

All EU countries, 2019

Germany: 66.7 %Germany66.7Slovenia: 59.2 %Slovenia59.2Austria: 58.2 %Austria58.2Netherlands: 56.9 %Netherlands56.9Belgium: 54.7 %Belgium54.7Denmark: 51.5 %Denmark51.5Italy: 51.4 %Italy51.4Lithuania: 49.7 %Lithuania49.7Luxembourg: 48.9 %Luxembourg48.9Sweden: 46.6 %Sweden46.6Finland: 43.5 %Finland43.5France: 41 %France41Latvia: 41 %Latvia41Slovakia: 38.5 %Slovakia38.5Spain: 37.9 %Spain37.9Ireland: 37.4 %Ireland37.4Hungary: 35.9 %Hungary35.9Bulgaria: 34.6 %Bulgaria34.6Poland: 34.1 %Poland34.1Czechia: 33.3 %Czechia33.3Estonia: 30.8 %Estonia30.8Croatia: 30.2 %Croatia30.2Portugal: 28.9 %Portugal28.9Greece: 21 %Greece21Cyprus: 16.9 %Cyprus16.9Romania: 11.5 %Romania11.5Malta: 9.1 %Malta9.1Germany: 66.7 %Germany66.7Slovenia: 59.2 %Slovenia59.2Austria: 58.2 %Austria58.2Netherlands: 56.9 %Netherlands56.9Belgium: 54.7 %Belgium54.7Denmark: 51.5 %Denmark51.5Italy: 51.4 %Italy51.4Lithuania: 49.7 %Lithuania49.7Luxembourg: 48.9 %Luxembourg48.9Sweden: 46.6 %Sweden46.6Finland: 43.5 %Finland43.5France: 41 %France41Latvia: 41 %Latvia41Slovakia: 38.5 %Slovakia38.5Spain: 37.9 %Spain37.9Ireland: 37.4 %Ireland37.4Hungary: 35.9 %Hungary35.9Bulgaria: 34.6 %Bulgaria34.6Poland: 34.1 %Poland34.1Czechia: 33.3 %Czechia33.3Estonia: 30.8 %Estonia30.8Croatia: 30.2 %Croatia30.2Portugal: 28.9 %Portugal28.9Greece: 21 %Greece21Cyprus: 16.9 %Cyprus16.9Romania: 11.5 %Romania11.5Malta: 9.1 %Malta9.1
%. Source: Eurostat, Recycling rate of municipal waste (cei_wm011). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankEU countries2019 (%)Change on 2018
1Germany Estimated66.7-0.4 pts
2Slovenia59.2+0.3 pts
3Austria58.2+0.5 pts
4Netherlands56.9+1 pts
5Belgium54.7+0.3 pts
6Denmark51.5+1.6 pts
7Italy51.4+1.6 pts
8Lithuania49.7-2.9 pts
9Luxembourg Estimated48.9-0.1 pts
10Sweden46.6+0.8 pts
11Finland43.5+1.2 pts
12France Estimated41+0.3 pts
12Latvia41+15.8 pts
14Slovakia38.5+2.2 pts
15Spain37.9+3.1 pts
16Ireland Series break37.4-0.3 pts
17Hungary35.9-1.5 pts
18Bulgaria34.6+3.1 pts
19Poland Estimated34.1-0.2 pts
20Czechia33.3+1.1 pts
21Estonia30.8+2.8 pts
22Croatia30.2+4.9 pts
23Portugal28.9-0.2 pts
24Greece21+0.9 pts
25Cyprus16.9+0.1 pts
26Romania11.5+0.4 pts
27Malta9.1-1.3 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, 2019) [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, 2019. 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=2019. 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, 2019. 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=2019.

Harvard

Eurostat, European Commission (2026) Recycling rate of municipal waste (cei_wm011), EU countries by municipal waste recycling rate, 2019 [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=2019 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_municipal_2019,
  author = {{Eurostat, European Commission}},
  title = {{Recycling rate of municipal waste (cei\_wm011): EU countries by municipal waste recycling rate, 2019}},
  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=2019. 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, 2019
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=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/municipal-waste-recycling-rate/eu-countries?period=2019.
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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Rank EU countries by municipal waste recycling rate using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which EU country has the highest municipal waste recycling rate?

Germany, with 66.7% in 2019, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which EU country has the lowest municipal waste recycling rate?

Malta, with 9.1% in 2019.

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