E-waste collection and recycling rates worldwide 2022, by region
collection and recycling rate of e-waste was just 0.7 percent.
In 2022, around 14 million metric tons of e-waste were estimated to be disposed as residual waste, with another 18 million metric being handled in low income countries with insufficient management infrastructure.
Just 22.3 percent of electronic waste generated worldwide was documented as formally collected and recycled in 2022. Europe had the highest collection and recycling rate, at 42.8 percent. Many European countries export e-waste - often illegally - to developing countries. Several of these countries are in Africa, where the In 2022, around 14 million metric tons of e-waste were estimated to be disposed as residual waste, with another 18 million metric being handled in low income countries with insufficient management infrastructure.