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Singapore Leads Global Ranking for Keeping Products and Materials in Use
28 Aug 2026
New research from Arka ranks 75 countries on recycling, material efficiency, second-hand clothing flows and e-waste generation, with Singapore taking the top position.
Singapore has been ranked as the world’s strongest performer for keeping products and materials in circulation, according to new research from custom packaging company Arka.
The July 2026 study examined 75 countries across four measures: material use per unit of GDP, municipal recycling rates, second-hand clothing trade and electronic waste generation. Arka combined the four factors into a single Circularity Performance Score.
Singapore achieved a perfect score of 100, followed by Austria, Slovenia, Germany and Latvia. The rest of the top ten included Denmark, the Netherlands, Ireland, Italy and the Republic of Korea.
Singapore Tops the Ranking
Singapore recorded a municipal recycling rate of 52%, the highest among the countries included in the ranking. It also used 0.39kg of raw materials for every US dollar of economic output.
The city-state performed less strongly on electronic waste, generating 20.3kg per person. Even so, its overall score placed it ahead of every other country in the study.
Arka’s research suggests that long-term policy has played an important role. The company pointed to Singapore’s decision to make recycling mandatory in commercial buildings during the 1990s as one example of how circular practices can become embedded over time.
Europe Dominates the Top Ten
European countries occupy eight of the ten highest positions in the ranking.
Austria came second with a score of 98.78 and recycled 51.47% of municipal waste. Slovenia followed with 93.48, while Germany scored 91.59. Latvia completed the top five with 87.35.
Germany stood out for the scale of its second-hand clothing exports. The study says more than 450 million kg of used clothing enters global circulation from Germany each year. It also recycles around 47% of municipal waste.
Latvia performed particularly well on e-waste. It generated just 11.9kg per person, one of the lowest levels among the countries in the ranking. Latvia also imports more second-hand clothing than it exports.
Top 10 Countries for Circularity
| Rank | Country | Circularity Performance Score | Municipal Recycling Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Singapore | 100.00 | 52.00% |
| 2 | Austria | 98.78 | 51.47% |
| 3 | Slovenia | 93.48 | 46.09% |
| 4 | Germany | 91.59 | 46.99% |
| 5 | Latvia | 87.35 | 36.09% |
| 6 | Denmark | 81.38 | 31.22% |
| 7 | Netherlands | 81.36 | 28.12% |
| 8 | Ireland | 81.34 | 26.02% |
| 9 | Italy | 80.49 | 21.86% |
| 10 | Republic of Korea | 79.51 | 38.43% |
Circularity Is More Than Recycling
The study is useful because it does not treat recycling as the only measure of circularity.
Material efficiency matters too. So does the ability to keep clothes in circulation through resale and export. Lower levels of electronic waste can also indicate that products stay in use for longer.
That broader approach gives a more complete picture of how countries manage products after their first use.
It also highlights a major global gap. According to an Arka expert quoted in the research, only 19% of municipal solid waste is recycled worldwide. The strongest-performing countries therefore sit well above the global average.
What Cities Can Learn From the Leaders
For cities, the findings point to the importance of long-term infrastructure and behaviour change.
Germany’s waste management reforms date back decades. Singapore also built recycling requirements into commercial buildings years ago. Neither system emerged overnight.
The strongest performers show that circularity depends on policy, collection systems, public participation and markets for second-hand goods working together.
As cities face growing pressure from waste, resource consumption and electronic products, keeping materials in use for longer could become an increasingly important part of urban sustainability strategies.
About the Research
Arka conducted the research in July 2026 and assessed 75 countries using four indicators: material efficiency, municipal recycling, second-hand clothing trade and e-waste generation. The company combined the measures into one Circularity Performance Score.
