People in rich countries throw away up to 800kg of waste each a year, compared to less than 200kg in the poorest countries. Find out more about the world’s waste from the graphs below.
Three quarters of city waste in transitional economies (primarily countries of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe) – and more than two thirds in Africa - is not formally collected. Most of it ends up on the streets, in open spaces or informal dumps.
The US recycles more than a third of its waste – but this still represents more than most other countries’ total waste output. Poorer countries tend to recycle and incinerate less, so rely on landfills more.