Beach litter items per unit of surface area in Europe
Europe: Beach litter items per unit of surface area was 4 num items per 100m2 in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Beach litter items per unit of surface area in Europe, 2015–2024
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in num items per 100m2.
Analysis
Europe recorded 4 num items per 100m2 for beach litter items per unit of surface area in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 300.0% on the previous year and down 95.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, beach litter items per unit of surface area in Europe peaked at 85 num items per 100m2 in 2016 and was at its lowest, 1 num items per 100m2, in 2023.
That places Europe 30th out of 34 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Beach litter items per unit of surface area in Europe, year by year
| Year | num items per 100m2 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 84 num items per 100m2 | — |
| 2016 | 85 num items per 100m2 | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 11 num items per 100m2 | -87.1% |
| 2018 | 34 num items per 100m2 | +209.1% |
| 2019 | 72 num items per 100m2 | +111.8% |
| 2020 | 4 num items per 100m2 | -94.4% |
| 2021 | 5 num items per 100m2 | +25.0% |
| 2022 | 14 num items per 100m2 | +180.0% |
| 2023 | 1 num items per 100m2 | -92.9% |
| 2024 | 4 num items per 100m2 | +300.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 57.2 num items per 100m2 | 11 num items per 100m2 | 85 num items per 100m2 | 5 |
| 2020s | 5.6 num items per 100m2 | 1 num items per 100m2 | 14 num items per 100m2 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Europe
More development goals data for Europe
- Red List Index 0.8374 index (2025)
- Number of refugees per 100,000 population, by country of origin 737.2 per 100,000 people (2025)
- Manufacturing value added per capita 4,433 constant US$ (2025)
- Number of transboundary breeds 695 (2025)
- Number of transboundary breeds (not extinct) 616 (2025)
- Number of transboundary breeds with unknown risk status 159 (2025)
- Number of local breeds with unknown risk status 822 (2025)
- Number of local breeds (not extinct) 2,962 (2025)
- Number of local breeds kept in the country 3,496 (2025)
- Infant deaths 23,561 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is beach litter items per unit of surface area in Europe?
- Beach litter items per unit of surface area in Europe was 4 num items per 100m2 in 2024, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest beach litter items per unit of surface area recorded in Europe?
- The highest recorded value was 85 num items per 100m2 in 2016.
- What is the lowest beach litter items per unit of surface area recorded in Europe?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 num items per 100m2 in 2023.
- How does Europe rank for beach litter items per unit of surface area?
- Europe ranks 30th out of 34 groups with data for 2024.
- Is beach litter items per unit of surface area rising or falling in Europe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 95.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Europe data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Beach litter items per unit of surface area (Number of items per 100 square meters). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).