The 20 Countries with the Highest Per Capita E-Waste Rates

In a previous gallery we looked at the 20 countries that generated the most e-waste in 2014, ranked by total volume. 

Here we're looking at e-waste a different way--this time showing the countries with the greatest per capita disposal rates.

The data in this gallery, as it was previously, is based on the UN’s “The Global E-Waste Monitor” report. 

The major difference this time around is that some countries make the volume list based on having very large populations, not because they generate a lot of e-waste on a per capita basis. The previous ranking featured countries from around the globe. This one is heavily dominated by European nations. 

Disposing and recycling e-waste, even lighter electronics, can be challenging. In the U.S. states and municipalities have many programs in place to try and collect and recycle e-waste. In some places, kiosks are available for drop-offs. There are national standards as well.

But at the end of the day, a lot of it ends up being landfilled. The United Nations also estimates that up to 90 percent of the world’s e-waste is illegally traded or dumped each year.