EU countries by municipal waste recycling rate
Germany had the highest municipal waste recycling rate of 27 EU countries in 2020, at 70.3%. Malta had the lowest, at 10.9%. The median was 40.4% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 48.5%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.
Map of EU countries, 2020
- Under 29
- 29 to 39
- 39 to 42
- 42 to 51
- 51 and over
All EU countries, 2020
Full ranking
| Rank | EU countries | 2020 (%) | Change on 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | 70.3 | +3.6 pts |
| 2 | Austria Series break | 62.3 | +4.1 pts |
| 3 | Slovenia | 59.3 | +0.1 pts |
| 4 | Netherlands | 57 | +0.1 pts |
| 5 | Luxembourg | 52.8 | +3.9 pts |
| 6 | Belgium | 51.4 | -3.3 pts |
| 6 | Italy | 51.4 | 0 pts |
| 8 | Lithuania | 45.3 | -4.4 pts |
| 8 | Slovakia | 45.3 | +6.8 pts |
| 10 | Denmark | 45 | -6.5 pts |
| 11 | Finland | 42.1 | -1.4 pts |
| 12 | Ireland Series break | 40.8 | +3.4 pts |
| 13 | Czechia | 40.5 | +7.2 pts |
| 14 | Spain | 40.4 | +2.5 pts |
| 15 | Latvia | 39.7 | -1.3 pts |
| 16 | France Estimated | 39.3 | -1.7 pts |
| 17 | Poland | 38.7 | +4.6 pts |
| 18 | Sweden Series break | 38.3 | -8.3 pts |
| 19 | Bulgaria | 35.2 | +0.6 pts |
| 20 | Hungary | 32 | -3.9 pts |
| 21 | Croatia | 29.5 | -0.7 pts |
| 22 | Estonia | 28.9 | -1.9 pts |
| 23 | Portugal | 26.8 | -2.1 pts |
| 24 | Greece Series break | 18.1 | -2.9 pts |
| 25 | Cyprus | 17 | +0.1 pts |
| 26 | Romania | 12.2 | +0.7 pts |
| 27 | Malta | 10.9 | +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
APA 7
Eurostat, European Commission. (2026). Recycling rate of municipal waste (cei_wm011) (EU countries by municipal waste recycling rate, 2020) [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, 2020. 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=2020. 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, 2020. 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=2020.
Harvard
Eurostat, European Commission (2026) Recycling rate of municipal waste (cei_wm011), EU countries by municipal waste recycling rate, 2020 [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=2020 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_municipal_2020,
author = {{Eurostat, European Commission}},
title = {{Recycling rate of municipal waste (cei\_wm011): EU countries by municipal waste recycling rate, 2020}},
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=2020. 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, 2020
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=2020
Y2 - 2026/10/12
N1 - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/municipal-waste-recycling-rate/eu-countries?period=2020.
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 -
Use this data in your AI agent
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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=10Questions
Which EU country has the highest municipal waste recycling rate?
Germany, with 70.3% in 2020, according to Eurostat, European Commission.
Which EU country has the lowest municipal waste recycling rate?
Malta, with 10.9% in 2020.
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.