Waste — Emissions in European Union (27)

European Union (27): Waste — Emissions was 4,250 kt in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
4,250 kt
Change on year
down 2.3%
Rank
17th
of 32 groups
All-time high
7,161 kt
in 1994
All-time low
4,187 kt
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023

Waste — Emissions in European Union (27), 1961–2023

02.0k4.0k6.0k8.0k196119922023

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in kt.

Analysis

European Union (27) recorded 4,250 kt for waste — emissions in 2023.

The figure is down 2.3% on the previous year and down 14.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, waste — emissions in European Union (27) peaked at 7,161 kt in 1994 and was at its lowest, 4,187 kt, in 1961.

That places European Union (27) 17th out of 32 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.

Waste — Emissions in European Union (27), year by year

Annual values for Waste — Emissions (CH4) in European Union (27), 1961 to 2023.
Year kt Change
1961 4,187 kt
1962 4,436 kt +6.0%
1963 4,691 kt +5.7%
1964 4,952 kt +5.6%
1965 5,220 kt +5.4%
1966 5,490 kt +5.2%
1967 5,769 kt +5.1%
1968 6,052 kt +4.9%
1969 6,340 kt +4.8%
1970 6,123 kt -3.4%
1971 6,383 kt +4.3%
1972 6,446 kt +1.0%
1973 6,493 kt +0.7%
1974 6,528 kt +0.5%
1975 6,547 kt +0.3%
1976 6,622 kt +1.1%
1977 6,644 kt +0.3%
1978 6,694 kt +0.8%
1979 6,737 kt +0.6%
1980 6,748 kt +0.2%
1981 6,747 kt -0.0%
1982 6,721 kt -0.4%
1983 6,740 kt +0.3%
1984 6,737 kt -0.1%
1985 6,709 kt -0.4%
1986 6,711 kt +0.0%
1987 6,701 kt -0.1%
1988 6,696 kt -0.1%
1989 6,661 kt -0.5%
1990 6,673 kt +0.2%
1991 6,774 kt +1.5%
1992 6,891 kt +1.7%
1993 7,140 kt +3.6%
1994 7,161 kt +0.3%
1995 7,105 kt -0.8%
1996 7,115 kt +0.1%
1997 7,060 kt -0.8%
1998 6,955 kt -1.5%
1999 6,972 kt +0.2%
2000 6,914 kt -0.8%
2001 6,754 kt -2.3%
2002 6,677 kt -1.1%
2003 6,482 kt -2.9%
2004 6,283 kt -3.1%
2005 6,067 kt -3.4%
2006 6,041 kt -0.4%
2007 5,898 kt -2.4%
2008 5,726 kt -2.9%
2009 5,609 kt -2.1%
2010 5,487 kt -2.2%
2011 5,347 kt -2.6%
2012 5,174 kt -3.2%
2013 4,976 kt -3.8%
2014 4,770 kt -4.1%
2015 4,678 kt -1.9%
2016 4,660 kt -0.4%
2017 4,754 kt +2.0%
2018 4,779 kt +0.5%
2019 4,685 kt -2.0%
2020 4,485 kt -4.3%
2021 4,457 kt -0.6%
2022 4,350 kt -2.4%
2023 4,250 kt -2.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 5,237 kt 4,187 kt 6,340 kt 9
1970s 6,522 kt 6,123 kt 6,737 kt 10
1980s 6,717 kt 6,661 kt 6,748 kt 10
1990s 6,985 kt 6,673 kt 7,161 kt 10
2000s 6,245 kt 5,609 kt 6,914 kt 10
2010s 4,931 kt 4,660 kt 5,487 kt 10
2020s 4,385 kt 4,250 kt 4,485 kt 4

Countries ranked near European Union (27)

  1. 14 Colombia 759 kt compare
  2. 15 Canada 757 kt compare
  3. 16 South Africa 751 kt compare
  4. 17 Morocco 702 kt compare
  5. 18 Republic of Korea 701 kt compare
  6. 19 Algeria 693 kt compare
  7. 20 Australia and New Zealand 586 kt compare

See the full ranking of 253 places →

More climate change data for European Union (27)

All data for European Union (27) →

Frequently asked questions

What is waste — emissions in European Union (27)?
Waste — emissions in European Union (27) was 4,250 kt in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest waste — emissions recorded in European Union (27)?
The highest recorded value was 7,161 kt in 1994.
What is the lowest waste — emissions recorded in European Union (27)?
The lowest recorded value was 4,187 kt in 1961.
How does European Union (27) rank for waste — emissions?
European Union (27) ranks 17th out of 32 groups with data for 2023.
Is waste — emissions rising or falling in European Union (27)?
Over the last ten years it is down 14.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this European Union (27) data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Waste — Emissions (CH4). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Waste — Emissions in European Union (27). Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 27 August 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/waste-emissions-ch4-fao-tier-1/european-union-27/

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About this data

Indicator
Waste — Emissions (CH4)
Unit
kt
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
253 places, 14,574 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed

The FAOSTAT domain on Emissions Totals summarizes the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions disseminated in the FAOSTAT Climate Change domains of emissions from agrifood systems. Data are computed following the Tier 1 methods of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Guidelines for National greenhouse gas (GHG) Inventories (IPCC, 1996; 1997; 2000; 2002; 2006; 2014). Emissions from other economic sectors as defined by the IPCC are also disseminated in the domain for completeness. Methodological details can be found at: https://files-faostat.fao.org/production/GT/GT_en.pdf