Waste — Emissions in OECD

OECD: Waste — Emissions was 16,440 kt in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
16,440 kt
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
1st
of 232 countries
All-time high
21,807 kt
in 1994
All-time low
11,943 kt
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023

Waste — Emissions in OECD, 1961–2023

05.0k10.0k15.0k20.0k196119922023

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for waste — emissions in OECD is 16,440 kt, measured in 2023.

The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 6.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, waste — emissions in OECD peaked at 21,807 kt in 1994 and was at its lowest, 11,943 kt, in 1961.

That places OECD 1st out of 232 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

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

Waste — Emissions in OECD, year by year

Annual values for Waste — Emissions (CH4) in OECD, 1961 to 2023.
Year kt Change
1961 11,943 kt —
1962 12,725 kt +6.5%
1963 13,524 kt +6.3%
1964 14,345 kt +6.1%
1965 15,189 kt +5.9%
1966 16,050 kt +5.7%
1967 16,927 kt +5.5%
1968 17,832 kt +5.3%
1969 18,760 kt +5.2%
1970 18,074 kt -3.7%
1971 19,064 kt +5.5%
1972 19,258 kt +1.0%
1973 19,430 kt +0.9%
1974 19,544 kt +0.6%
1975 19,608 kt +0.3%
1976 19,882 kt +1.4%
1977 20,040 kt +0.8%
1978 20,220 kt +0.9%
1979 20,382 kt +0.8%
1980 20,502 kt +0.6%
1981 20,583 kt +0.4%
1982 20,585 kt +0.0%
1983 20,699 kt +0.6%
1984 20,746 kt +0.2%
1985 20,752 kt +0.0%
1986 20,839 kt +0.4%
1987 20,924 kt +0.4%
1988 20,984 kt +0.3%
1989 21,028 kt +0.2%
1990 21,122 kt +0.4%
1991 21,396 kt +1.3%
1992 21,546 kt +0.7%
1993 21,777 kt +1.1%
1994 21,807 kt +0.1%
1995 21,551 kt -1.2%
1996 21,385 kt -0.8%
1997 21,010 kt -1.8%
1998 20,434 kt -2.7%
1999 20,138 kt -1.4%
2000 19,983 kt -0.8%
2001 18,840 kt -5.7%
2002 18,244 kt -3.2%
2003 18,134 kt -0.6%
2004 17,636 kt -2.7%
2005 17,580 kt -0.3%
2006 17,753 kt +1.0%
2007 17,721 kt -0.2%
2008 17,414 kt -1.7%
2009 16,811 kt -3.5%
2010 16,098 kt -4.2%
2011 15,824 kt -1.7%
2012 15,558 kt -1.7%
2013 15,436 kt -0.8%
2014 15,401 kt -0.2%
2015 15,428 kt +0.2%
2016 15,567 kt +0.9%
2017 15,879 kt +2.0%
2018 16,198 kt +2.0%
2019 16,160 kt -0.2%
2020 16,182 kt +0.1%
2021 16,365 kt +1.1%
2022 16,417 kt +0.3%
2023 16,440 kt +0.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 15,255 kt 11,943 kt 18,760 kt 9
1970s 19,550 kt 18,074 kt 20,382 kt 10
1980s 20,764 kt 20,502 kt 21,028 kt 10
1990s 21,217 kt 20,138 kt 21,807 kt 10
2000s 18,012 kt 16,811 kt 19,983 kt 10
2010s 15,755 kt 15,401 kt 16,198 kt 10
2020s 16,351 kt 16,182 kt 16,440 kt 4

Countries ranked near OECD

  1. 2 China 13,254 kt compare
  2. 3 China, mainland 12,700 kt compare
  3. 4 United States 4,940 kt compare

See the full ranking of 265 places →

More climate change data for OECD

All data for OECD →

Frequently asked questions

What is waste — emissions in OECD?
Waste — emissions in OECD was 16,440 kt in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest waste — emissions recorded in OECD?
The highest recorded value was 21,807 kt in 1994.
What is the lowest waste — emissions recorded in OECD?
The lowest recorded value was 11,943 kt in 1961.
How does OECD rank for waste — emissions?
OECD ranks 1st out of 232 countries with data for 2023.
Is waste — emissions rising or falling in OECD?
Over the last ten years it is up 6.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this OECD 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 OECD. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 27 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/waste-emissions-ch4-fao-tier-1/oecd/

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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
265 places, 15,268 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