Beach litter items per unit of surface area in Southern Europe

Southern Europe: Beach litter items per unit of surface area was 6 num items per 100m2 in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
6 num items per 100m2
Change on year
down 25.0%
Rank
27th
of 34 groups
All-time high
332 num items per 100m2
in 2016
All-time low
6 num items per 100m2
in 2024
Years of data
10
2015–2024

Beach litter items per unit of surface area in Southern Europe, 2015–2024

01002003002015201920242015: 297 num items per 100m22016: 332 num items per 100m22017: 97 num items per 100m22018: 133 num items per 100m22019: 114 num items per 100m22020: 73 num items per 100m22021: 79 num items per 100m22022: 11 num items per 100m22023: 8 num items per 100m22024: 6 num items per 100m2

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in num items per 100m2.

Analysis

Southern Europe recorded 6 num items per 100m2 for beach litter items per unit of surface area in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 10 years on record.

That represents a change of down 25.0% on the previous year and down 98.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, beach litter items per unit of surface area in Southern Europe peaked at 332 num items per 100m2 in 2016 and was at its lowest, 6 num items per 100m2, in 2024.

That places Southern Europe 27th 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 Southern Europe, year by year

Annual values for Beach litter items per unit of surface area (Number of items per 100 square meters) in Southern Europe, 2015 to 2024.
Year num items per 100m2 Change
2015 297 num items per 100m2
2016 332 num items per 100m2 +11.8%
2017 97 num items per 100m2 -70.8%
2018 133 num items per 100m2 +37.1%
2019 114 num items per 100m2 -14.3%
2020 73 num items per 100m2 -36.0%
2021 79 num items per 100m2 +8.2%
2022 11 num items per 100m2 -86.1%
2023 8 num items per 100m2 -27.3%
2024 6 num items per 100m2 -25.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 194.6 num items per 100m2 97 num items per 100m2 332 num items per 100m2 5
2020s 35.4 num items per 100m2 6 num items per 100m2 79 num items per 100m2 5

Countries ranked near Southern Europe

  1. 24 Cambodia 76 num items per 100m2 compare
  2. 25 Chile 69 num items per 100m2 compare
  3. 26 Bangladesh 62 num items per 100m2 compare
  4. 27 Bahamas 52 num items per 100m2 compare
  5. 28 Samoa 48 num items per 100m2 compare
  6. 29 Malawi 46 num items per 100m2 compare
  7. 30 Guatemala 40 num items per 100m2 compare

See the full ranking of 140 places →

More development goals data for Southern Europe

All data for Southern Europe →

Frequently asked questions

What is beach litter items per unit of surface area in Southern Europe?
Beach litter items per unit of surface area in Southern Europe was 6 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 Southern Europe?
The highest recorded value was 332 num items per 100m2 in 2016.
What is the lowest beach litter items per unit of surface area recorded in Southern Europe?
The lowest recorded value was 6 num items per 100m2 in 2024.
How does Southern Europe rank for beach litter items per unit of surface area?
Southern Europe ranks 27th out of 34 groups with data for 2024.
Is beach litter items per unit of surface area rising or falling in Southern Europe?
Over the last ten years it is down 98.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Southern 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.

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Beach litter items per unit of surface area in Southern Europe. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 08 September 2026, from https://development-goals.statizoid.com/stat/beach-litter-items-per-unit-of-surface-area-number-of-items-per-100-square-meters/southern-europe/

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About this data

Indicator
Beach litter items per unit of surface area (Number of items per 100 square meters)
Unit
num items per 100m2
Source
United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database
Licence
UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested)
Coverage
140 places, 1,211 data points, 2015–2024
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