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Headline data

Material footprint, material footprint per capita, and material footprint per GDP
Year Value Units Series Observation status Unit multiplier
1990 976.646 Metric tons Material footprint Normal value Millions
1991 964.3711 Metric tons Material footprint Normal value Millions
1992 903.4407 Metric tons Material footprint Normal value Millions
1993 845.5123 Metric tons Material footprint Normal value Millions
1994 848.782 Metric tons Material footprint Normal value Millions
1995 793.4844 Metric tons Material footprint Normal value Millions
1996 827.8578 Metric tons Material footprint Normal value Millions
1997 901.7157 Metric tons Material footprint Normal value Millions
1998 1056.0496 Metric tons Material footprint Normal value Millions
1999 1044.3437 Metric tons Material footprint Normal value Millions
2000 1065.8842 Metric tons Material footprint Normal value Millions
2001 1096.1633 Metric tons Material footprint Normal value Millions
2002 1254.2146 Metric tons Material footprint Normal value Millions
2003 1307.01 Metric tons Material footprint Normal value Millions
2004 1423.8945 Metric tons Material footprint Normal value Millions
2005 1385.2822 Metric tons Material footprint Normal value Millions
2006 1345.6896 Metric tons Material footprint Normal value Millions
2007 1317.1414 Metric tons Material footprint Normal value Millions
2008 1179.9533 Metric tons Material footprint Normal value Millions
2009 1019.0962 Metric tons Material footprint Normal value Millions
2010 988.3921 Metric tons Material footprint Normal value Millions
2011 1056.2035 Metric tons Material footprint Normal value Millions
2012 1082.2307 Metric tons Material footprint Normal value Millions
2013 1022.119 Metric tons Material footprint Normal value Millions
2014 1157.8499 Metric tons Material footprint Normal value Millions
2015 1191.5994 Metric tons Material footprint Normal value Millions
2016 941.7642 Metric tons Material footprint Normal value Millions
2017 920.8166 Metric tons Material footprint Normal value Millions
2018 1064.3594 Metric tons Material footprint Normal value Millions
2019 1043.8019 Metric tons Material footprint Normal value Millions
2020 926.1905 Metric tons Material footprint Normal value Millions
1990 17.6 Metric tons Material footprint per capita Normal value Units
1991 17.3 Metric tons Material footprint per capita Normal value Units
1992 16.1 Metric tons Material footprint per capita Normal value Units
1993 15.1 Metric tons Material footprint per capita Normal value Units
1994 15.1 Metric tons Material footprint per capita Normal value Units
1995 14.1 Metric tons Material footprint per capita Normal value Units
1996 14.7 Metric tons Material footprint per capita Normal value Units
1997 15.9 Metric tons Material footprint per capita Normal value Units
1998 18.6 Metric tons Material footprint per capita Normal value Units
1999 18.3 Metric tons Material footprint per capita Normal value Units
2000 18.6 Metric tons Material footprint per capita Normal value Units
2001 19.1 Metric tons Material footprint per capita Normal value Units
2002 21.7 Metric tons Material footprint per capita Normal value Units
2003 22.6 Metric tons Material footprint per capita Normal value Units
2004 24.5 Metric tons Material footprint per capita Normal value Units
2005 23.6 Metric tons Material footprint per capita Normal value Units
2006 22.8 Metric tons Material footprint per capita Normal value Units
2007 22.1 Metric tons Material footprint per capita Normal value Units
2008 19.7 Metric tons Material footprint per capita Normal value Units
2009 16.9 Metric tons Material footprint per capita Normal value Units
2010 16.2 Metric tons Material footprint per capita Normal value Units
2011 17.2 Metric tons Material footprint per capita Normal value Units
2012 17.5 Metric tons Material footprint per capita Normal value Units
2013 16.4 Metric tons Material footprint per capita Normal value Units
2014 18.4 Metric tons Material footprint per capita Normal value Units
2015 18.8 Metric tons Material footprint per capita Normal value Units
2016 14.8 Metric tons Material footprint per capita Normal value Units
2017 14.3 Metric tons Material footprint per capita Normal value Units
2018 16.5 Metric tons Material footprint per capita Normal value Units
2019 16.1 Metric tons Material footprint per capita Normal value Units
2020 14.2 Metric tons Material footprint per capita Normal value Units
1990 0.2821350919 Kilograms per constant USD Material footprint per unit of GDP Normal value Units
1991 0.3015598447 Kilograms per constant USD Material footprint per unit of GDP Normal value Units
1992 0.2912952833 Kilograms per constant USD Material footprint per unit of GDP Normal value Units
1993 0.274419947 Kilograms per constant USD Material footprint per unit of GDP Normal value Units
1994 0.2700107668 Kilograms per constant USD Material footprint per unit of GDP Normal value Units
1995 0.2533112809 Kilograms per constant USD Material footprint per unit of GDP Normal value Units
1996 0.2702899738 Kilograms per constant USD Material footprint per unit of GDP Normal value Units
1997 0.2808828789 Kilograms per constant USD Material footprint per unit of GDP Normal value Units
1998 0.3221138523 Kilograms per constant USD Material footprint per unit of GDP Normal value Units
1999 0.3127863801 Kilograms per constant USD Material footprint per unit of GDP Normal value Units
2000 0.3124700762 Kilograms per constant USD Material footprint per unit of GDP Normal value Units
2001 0.3184854053 Kilograms per constant USD Material footprint per unit of GDP Normal value Units
2002 0.3645640122 Kilograms per constant USD Material footprint per unit of GDP Normal value Units
2003 0.376956968 Kilograms per constant USD Material footprint per unit of GDP Normal value Units
2004 0.4121411467 Kilograms per constant USD Material footprint per unit of GDP Normal value Units
2005 0.4011798472 Kilograms per constant USD Material footprint per unit of GDP Normal value Units
2006 0.3908915904 Kilograms per constant USD Material footprint per unit of GDP Normal value Units
2007 0.3824855615 Kilograms per constant USD Material footprint per unit of GDP Normal value Units
2008 0.3550328125 Kilograms per constant USD Material footprint per unit of GDP Normal value Units
2009 0.3258947515 Kilograms per constant USD Material footprint per unit of GDP Normal value Units
2010 0.3140925186 Kilograms per constant USD Material footprint per unit of GDP Normal value Units
2011 0.3384537697 Kilograms per constant USD Material footprint per unit of GDP Normal value Units
2012 0.3469511537 Kilograms per constant USD Material footprint per unit of GDP Normal value Units
2013 0.3276322928 Kilograms per constant USD Material footprint per unit of GDP Normal value Units
2014 0.3654211754 Kilograms per constant USD Material footprint per unit of GDP Normal value Units
2015 0.3700088462 Kilograms per constant USD Material footprint per unit of GDP Normal value Units
2016 0.2928805135 Kilograms per constant USD Material footprint per unit of GDP Normal value Units
2017 0.2865091327 Kilograms per constant USD Material footprint per unit of GDP Normal value Units
2018 0.3327591833 Kilograms per constant USD Material footprint per unit of GDP Normal value Units
2019 0.3285170663 Kilograms per constant USD Material footprint per unit of GDP Normal value Units
2020 0.3428032915 Kilograms per constant USD Material footprint per unit of GDP Normal value Units
1990 800.1 Tons per GDP (millions of pounds) Material footprint per unit of GDP Definition differs Units
1991 798.7 Tons per GDP (millions of pounds) Material footprint per unit of GDP Definition differs Units
1992 745.3 Tons per GDP (millions of pounds) Material footprint per unit of GDP Definition differs Units
1993 680.5 Tons per GDP (millions of pounds) Material footprint per unit of GDP Definition differs Units
1994 657.9 Tons per GDP (millions of pounds) Material footprint per unit of GDP Definition differs Units
1995 599.8 Tons per GDP (millions of pounds) Material footprint per unit of GDP Definition differs Units
1996 610.6 Tons per GDP (millions of pounds) Material footprint per unit of GDP Definition differs Units
1997 633.6 Tons per GDP (millions of pounds) Material footprint per unit of GDP Definition differs Units
1998 715.5 Tons per GDP (millions of pounds) Material footprint per unit of GDP Definition differs Units
1999 685.0 Tons per GDP (millions of pounds) Material footprint per unit of GDP Definition differs Units
2000 675.4 Tons per GDP (millions of pounds) Material footprint per unit of GDP Definition differs Units
2001 676.1 Tons per GDP (millions of pounds) Material footprint per unit of GDP Definition differs Units
2002 757.1 Tons per GDP (millions of pounds) Material footprint per unit of GDP Definition differs Units
2003 763.6 Tons per GDP (millions of pounds) Material footprint per unit of GDP Definition differs Units
2004 813.3 Tons per GDP (millions of pounds) Material footprint per unit of GDP Definition differs Units
2005 768.6 Tons per GDP (millions of pounds) Material footprint per unit of GDP Definition differs Units
2006 727.0 Tons per GDP (millions of pounds) Material footprint per unit of GDP Definition differs Units
2007 695.2 Tons per GDP (millions of pounds) Material footprint per unit of GDP Definition differs Units
2008 624.5 Tons per GDP (millions of pounds) Material footprint per unit of GDP Definition differs Units
2009 562.5 Tons per GDP (millions of pounds) Material footprint per unit of GDP Definition differs Units
2010 534.5 Tons per GDP (millions of pounds) Material footprint per unit of GDP Definition differs Units
2011 564.0 Tons per GDP (millions of pounds) Material footprint per unit of GDP Definition differs Units
2012 569.7 Tons per GDP (millions of pounds) Material footprint per unit of GDP Definition differs Units
2013 526.6 Tons per GDP (millions of pounds) Material footprint per unit of GDP Definition differs Units
2014 579.9 Tons per GDP (millions of pounds) Material footprint per unit of GDP Definition differs Units
2015 583.0 Tons per GDP (millions of pounds) Material footprint per unit of GDP Definition differs Units
2016 453.0 Tons per GDP (millions of pounds) Material footprint per unit of GDP Definition differs Units
2017 435.3 Tons per GDP (millions of pounds) Material footprint per unit of GDP Definition differs Units
2018 496.9 Tons per GDP (millions of pounds) Material footprint per unit of GDP Definition differs Units
2019 480.5 Tons per GDP (millions of pounds) Material footprint per unit of GDP Definition differs Units
2020 473.3 Tons per GDP (millions of pounds) Material footprint per unit of GDP Definition differs Units

Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS)

Geographical Area: United Kingdom

Unit of Measurement: Million metric tons, Tons per capita, Tons per GDP (£m), Kilograms per constant USD ($) expressed in 2021 prices

Footnote: The plot shows values to a precision of three significant figures rounded to the nearest 10. For more precise values please use the "Download Source csv" button.

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This table provides metadata for the actual indicator available from UK statistics closest to the corresponding global SDG indicator. Please note that even when the global SDG indicator is fully available from UK statistics, this table should be consulted for information on national methodology and other UK-specific metadata information.

Indicator available

Not available for this indicator
Indicator description

Not available for this indicator
Geographical coverage

United Kingdom
Unit of measurement

Million metric tons, Tons per capita, Tons per GDP (£m), Kilograms per constant USD ($) expressed in 2021 prices
Definitions

UK’s material footprint, or raw material consumption, captures the amount of domestic and foreign extraction of materials needed to produce the products used by households, governments and charities in the UK. Methodology for calculating material footprint is complex and the approach used can impact on the figures. These data give the latest estimates using a method developed by the University of Leeds, updating the time series where revised data are available, and including figures for 2020. Data are presented for the UK.

Previously, there were published estimates of the UK’s material footprint using the Eurostat approach, using a tool which is publicly available. The Eurostat method uses coefficients, which estimate the quantity of a raw material required for a given product in a given year. In the latest version of the tool, the coefficients were calculated for the EU27 (the UK was excluded). It has therefore not been possible to provide updated estimates for the UK material footprint using the Eurostat approach. More details on the method, and other available methods, can be found in the article Material footprint in the UK 2018.
Available disaggregations

Biomass, metal ores excluding precious metals, non-metallic minerals and fossil fuels.
Calculations

Material footprint is available in "thousands of tons" from the original source (see Source 1), but here it is displayed as "millions of tons" to reduce the digits on the y-axis of the plot. This is done by dividing the data from the original source by 1000.

Material footprint per capita is calculated as raw material consumption (material footprint)/UK population (calculated figures already provided in the original source).

Material footprint per GDP is calculated as raw material consumption (material footprint)/GDP (calculated figures for GBP (£ millions) already provided in the original source).

Conversion of material footprint per GDP from 'tons per GBP (£ millions)' to 'kilograms per constant USD ($)' was required for international comparison purposes. The conversion is done by multiplying the material footprint tons (thousandths) data from Source 1 by 1000 to obtain original tons units. This is then multiplied again by 1000 to obtain kilograms. The annual GDP (£ millions) figures (also available from Source 1) are then converted to constant USD using the OECD method, expressed in 2021 prices (the latest deflator at the time of conversion). The average annual coversion rate for GBP into USD, and the deflators necessary for the constant USD conversion can be obtained from Source 2. The converted GDP is multiplied by 1000,000 to obtain the baseline number for $, rather than $ in millions. Finally, the calculated kilograms are divided by the converted GDP in constant USD ($) to obtain the final figures shown here.

Other information

The choice of method used to calculate material footprint has an impact on the final estimates. In 2017, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) consulted extensively with the University of Leeds about developing further environmentally relevant metrics for material use and resource efficiency, particularly in carbon terms. As a result, the University of Leeds have developed a multi-regional input-output (MRIO) approach, using a specifically derived UK MRIO database to underpin calculations. Data follows the UN specification for this indicator. This indicator has been identified in collaboration with topic experts.
Data last updated 10 July 2023
Metadata last updated 10 July 2023
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