Electronics collection remains far behind the scale of discarded equipment. In 2022, the world generated 62 billion kilograms of e-waste, while only 13.8 billion kilograms were documented as formally collected and recycled. That produced a documented formal collection and recycling rate of 22.3%, according to The Global E-waste Monitor 2024.
Contents
- Global collection baseline
- Regional totals and rates
- Per-capita generation
- Collection by equipment category
- Policy coverage and 2030 scenarios
- European Union benchmarks
- United States consumer-electronics record
Global collection baseline
The global e-waste total has expanded substantially since 2010. The Global E-waste Monitor recorded 34,157 million kilograms of e-waste generation in 2010. By 2022, the figure had reached 61,908 million kilograms. The same source reports the 2022 total in rounded form as 62 billion kilograms.
The change in volume has not translated into a higher documented formal collection rate. In 2010, the documented formal collection and recycling rate was 23.3%. In 2022, it was 22.3%. These are documented formal flows, so they should not be read as a complete measure of every device that was reused, collected informally, stored, exported, or otherwise handled outside documented formal systems.
The 2022 global generation figure was 7.8 kilograms per person. Against that scale, the 13.8 billion kilograms documented as formally collected and recycled represent a substantial material stream, but also show how much e-waste remains outside the recorded formal collection channel.
Global baseline at a glance
| Measure | Value | Measurement period |
|---|---|---|
| E-waste generated | 62 billion kg | 2022 |
| E-waste generated | 34,157 million kg | 2010 |
| E-waste generated | 61,908 million kg | 2022 |
| Formal collection and recycling | 13.8 billion kg | 2022 |
| Documented formal collection and recycling rate | 23.3% | 2010 |
| Documented formal collection and recycling rate | 22.3% | 2022 |
| E-waste generated per capita | 7.8 kg | 2022 |
Source: The Global E-waste Monitor 2024.
Regional totals and rates
Regional electronics collection statistics differ sharply. Europe had the highest documented formal collection rate among the five regions listed for 2022, at 42.8%, followed closely by Oceania at 41.4%. The Americas recorded 30.0%. Asia had a lower rate of 11.8%, while Africa recorded 0.7%.
The totals tell a different part of the story because population and overall generation vary. Asia generated 30,147 million kilograms of e-waste, the largest regional total in the dataset, and documented 3,568 million kilograms as formally collected and recycled. Europe generated 13,076 million kilograms and documented 5,593 million kilograms through formal collection and recycling. The Americas generated 14,427 million kilograms and documented 4,328 million kilograms.
Africa generated 3,551 million kilograms but documented only 25 million kilograms as formally collected and recycled. Oceania generated 707 million kilograms and documented 292 million kilograms. These figures describe documented formal collection and recycling, not necessarily every recovery pathway in each region.
| Region | Generated in 2022 | Formal collection rate | Formally collected and recycled |
|---|---|---|---|
| Africa | 3,551 million kg | 0.7% | 25 million kg |
| Americas | 14,427 million kg | 30.0% | 4,328 million kg |
| Asia | 30,147 million kg | 11.8% | 3,568 million kg |
| Europe | 13,076 million kg | 42.8% | 5,593 million kg |
| Oceania | 707 million kg | 41.4% | 292 million kg |
Source: The Global E-waste Monitor 2024, all figures for 2022.
Per-capita generation
Per-capita figures help distinguish total waste volume from the amount generated relative to population. Europe recorded the highest listed per-capita generation in 2022, at 17.6 kilograms. Oceania followed at 16.1 kilograms, and the Americas recorded 14.1 kilograms per capita.
Asia generated 6.4 kilograms per capita, below the global figure of 7.8 kilograms. Africa recorded 2.5 kilograms per capita. A lower per-capita generation figure does not by itself describe collection performance: the regional collection-rate figures above show that Africa’s documented formal collection rate was 0.7%, while Europe’s was 42.8%.
The per-capita data also provide context for the large regional totals. Asia’s 6.4 kilograms per capita accompanied the highest total generation figure, while Europe’s 17.6 kilograms per capita accompanied a smaller total but a higher documented formal collection rate.
| Region | E-waste generated per capita in 2022 |
|---|---|
| Africa | 2.5 kg |
| Americas | 14.1 kg |
| Asia | 6.4 kg |
| Europe | 17.6 kg |
| Oceania | 16.1 kg |
Source: The Global E-waste Monitor 2024.
Collection by equipment category
The type of electronics matters when considering collection outcomes. Small equipment was the largest listed category by generated mass in 2022, at 20.4 billion kilograms. Its documented formal collection and recycling rate was 12%. Small IT and telecommunications equipment generated 4.6 billion kilograms and had a 22% rate.
Large equipment, excluding photovoltaic panels, generated 15.1 billion kilograms and had a 34% documented formal collection and recycling rate. Temperature-exchange equipment generated 13.3 billion kilograms, with a 27% rate. Screens and monitors generated 5.9 billion kilograms, with a 25% rate.
The lowest listed category rate was for lamps. Lamps accounted for 1.9 billion kilograms and had a 5% documented formal collection and recycling rate. Photovoltaic panels accounted for 0.6 billion kilograms, with a 17% rate.
| Equipment category | E-waste generated in 2022 | Documented formal collection and recycling rate |
|---|---|---|
| Small equipment | 20.4 billion kg | 12% |
| Large equipment, excluding photovoltaic panels | 15.1 billion kg | 34% |
| Temperature-exchange equipment | 13.3 billion kg | 27% |
| Screens and monitors | 5.9 billion kg | 25% |
| Small IT and telecommunications equipment | 4.6 billion kg | 22% |
| Lamps | 1.9 billion kg | 5% |
| Photovoltaic panels | 0.6 billion kg | 17% |
Source: The Global E-waste Monitor 2024, all figures for 2022. The rates are documented formal collection and recycling rates.
Policy coverage and 2030 scenarios
Policy coverage provides another way to assess the infrastructure behind electronics collection. By June 2023, 81 countries—42% of countries worldwide—had adopted e-waste policy, legislation, or regulation. Those countries represented 72% of the global population. The figures describe policy coverage, not a guarantee that every covered country achieved a particular collection result.
Sixty-seven countries had a legal instrument governing extended producer responsibility for e-waste by June 2023. Forty-six countries had e-waste collection-rate targets, and 36 had e-waste recycling-rate targets.
The Global E-waste Monitor’s 2030 scenarios project 82 billion kilograms of e-waste generation. Under the business-as-usual scenario, formally documented collection and recycling would reach 20%. Under the progressive scenario, formally documented collection and recycling would reach 38%. These are scenarios, not observed 2030 outcomes, and the source labels them as forecasts.
| Policy or scenario measure | Figure | Period or scenario |
|---|---|---|
| Countries with e-waste policy, legislation, or regulation | 81 countries | June 2023 |
| Share of countries represented | 42% | June 2023 |
| Global population covered by those countries | 72% | June 2023 |
| Countries with extended producer responsibility instrument | 67 | June 2023 |
| Countries with collection-rate targets | 46 | June 2023 |
| Countries with recycling-rate targets | 36 | June 2023 |
| Projected e-waste generation | 82 billion kg | 2030 forecast |
| Formal collection and recycling under business as usual | 20% | 2030 forecast |
| Formal collection and recycling under progressive scenario | 38% | 2030 forecast |
Source: The Global E-waste Monitor 2024.
European Union benchmarks
Eurostat reported that EU countries collected 11.6 kilograms of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) per inhabitant in 2023. The EU WEEE collection rate was 37.5% in 2023 when measured against the average amount of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) placed on the market during 2020–2022. That denominator averaged 30.2 kilograms per inhabitant.
The EU placed 14.4 million tonnes of EEE on the market in 2023, compared with 7.6 million tonnes in 2012. In 2023, EU countries collected 5.2 million tonnes of WEEE. Of that collected WEEE, 4.8 million tonnes were recovered, while 4.3 million tonnes were recycled or prepared for reuse.
Nine EU countries surpassed the 45% WEEE collection target in 2023. Bulgaria, Latvia, and Slovakia reached the 65% WEEE collection target. These target comparisons use the Eurostat reporting framework and the stated measurement periods.
Source: Eurostat, Waste statistics – electrical and electronic equipment.
United States consumer-electronics record
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimated that 2.7 million U.S. tons of selected consumer electronics were generated in 2018. The selected products represented less than 1% of total U.S. municipal solid-waste generation that year. The recycling rate for those selected consumer electronics was 38.5% in 2018.
The EPA’s historical figures provide additional context. Selected consumer-electronics generation was 1.9 million tons in 2000. In 2015, selected consumer-electronics recycling was 1.23 million tons. In 2018, the recycling amount was 1.04 million tons.
These U.S. figures cover selected consumer electronics and should not be treated as a direct replacement for the broader global e-waste totals or the EU WEEE measures. The product scope, geography, units, and measurement periods differ. The 2018 EPA estimate is also a historical estimate; it is not a current national total.