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 2021, at 71.4%. Romania had the lowest, at 12.3%. The median was 41.3% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 49.7%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

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Highest71.4Germany
Lowest12.3Romania
Median41.327 EU countries
European Union (27)49.7History

Map of EU countries, 2021

Austria: 62.5 %Belgium: 55.5 %Bulgaria: 28.2 %Cyprus: 14 %Czechia: 43.3 %Germany: 71.4 %Denmark: 49 %Estonia: 30.3 %Spain: 43.7 %Finland: 39 %France: 40.9 %Greece: 17.5 %Croatia: 31.4 %Hungary: 34.9 %Ireland: 41.3 %Italy: 51.9 %Lithuania: 44.3 %Luxembourg: 55.3 %Latvia: 44.1 %Malta: 13.6 %Netherlands: 57.8 %Poland: 40.3 %Portugal: 30.4 %Romania: 12.3 %Sweden: 39.5 %Slovenia: 60.8 %Slovakia: 48.9 %
  • Under 30
  • 30 to 40
  • 40 to 44
  • 44 to 55
  • 55 and over
%, 2021. Source: Eurostat, Recycling rate of municipal waste (cei_wm011). Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain).

All EU countries, 2021

Germany: 71.4 %Germany71.4Austria: 62.5 %Austria62.5Slovenia: 60.8 %Slovenia60.8Netherlands: 57.8 %Netherlands57.8Belgium: 55.5 %Belgium55.5Luxembourg: 55.3 %Luxembourg55.3Italy: 51.9 %Italy51.9Denmark: 49 %Denmark49Slovakia: 48.9 %Slovakia48.9Lithuania: 44.3 %Lithuania44.3Latvia: 44.1 %Latvia44.1Spain: 43.7 %Spain43.7Czechia: 43.3 %Czechia43.3Ireland: 41.3 %Ireland41.3France: 40.9 %France40.9Poland: 40.3 %Poland40.3Sweden: 39.5 %Sweden39.5Finland: 39 %Finland39Hungary: 34.9 %Hungary34.9Croatia: 31.4 %Croatia31.4Portugal: 30.4 %Portugal30.4Estonia: 30.3 %Estonia30.3Bulgaria: 28.2 %Bulgaria28.2Greece: 17.5 %Greece17.5Cyprus: 14 %Cyprus14Malta: 13.6 %Malta13.6Romania: 12.3 %Romania12.3Germany: 71.4 %Germany71.4Austria: 62.5 %Austria62.5Slovenia: 60.8 %Slovenia60.8Netherlands: 57.8 %Netherlands57.8Belgium: 55.5 %Belgium55.5Luxembourg: 55.3 %Luxembourg55.3Italy: 51.9 %Italy51.9Denmark: 49 %Denmark49Slovakia: 48.9 %Slovakia48.9Lithuania: 44.3 %Lithuania44.3Latvia: 44.1 %Latvia44.1Spain: 43.7 %Spain43.7Czechia: 43.3 %Czechia43.3Ireland: 41.3 %Ireland41.3France: 40.9 %France40.9Poland: 40.3 %Poland40.3Sweden: 39.5 %Sweden39.5Finland: 39 %Finland39Hungary: 34.9 %Hungary34.9Croatia: 31.4 %Croatia31.4Portugal: 30.4 %Portugal30.4Estonia: 30.3 %Estonia30.3Bulgaria: 28.2 %Bulgaria28.2Greece: 17.5 %Greece17.5Cyprus: 14 %Cyprus14Malta: 13.6 %Malta13.6Romania: 12.3 %Romania12.3
%. Source: Eurostat, Recycling rate of municipal waste (cei_wm011). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankEU countries2021 (%)Change on 2020
1Germany71.4+1.1 pts
2Austria62.5+0.2 pts
3Slovenia60.8+1.5 pts
4Netherlands Provisional57.8+0.8 pts
5Belgium55.5+4.1 pts
6Luxembourg55.3+2.5 pts
7Italy51.9+0.5 pts
8Denmark49+4 pts
9Slovakia48.9+3.6 pts
10Lithuania44.3-1 pts
11Latvia44.1+4.4 pts
12Spain43.7+3.3 pts
13Czechia43.3+2.8 pts
14Ireland41.3+0.5 pts
15France Estimated40.9+1.6 pts
16Poland40.3+1.6 pts
17Sweden39.5+1.2 pts
18Finland39-3.1 pts
19Hungary34.9+2.9 pts
20Croatia31.4+1.9 pts
21Portugal30.4+3.6 pts
22Estonia30.3+1.4 pts
23Bulgaria28.2-7 pts
24Greece17.5-0.6 pts
25Cyprus14-3 pts
26Malta13.6+2.7 pts
27Romania12.3+0.1 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, 2021) [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, 2021. 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=2021. 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, 2021. 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=2021.

Harvard

Eurostat, European Commission (2026) Recycling rate of municipal waste (cei_wm011), EU countries by municipal waste recycling rate, 2021 [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=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_municipal_2021,
  author = {{Eurostat, European Commission}},
  title = {{Recycling rate of municipal waste (cei\_wm011): EU countries by municipal waste recycling rate, 2021}},
  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=2021. 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, 2021
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=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/municipal-waste-recycling-rate/eu-countries?period=2021.
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 71.4% in 2021, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which EU country has the lowest municipal waste recycling rate?

Romania, with 12.3% in 2021.

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