There is actually no straight answer for it. Basically, the amount of space between the wall and the chair depends on the recliner you have purchased. But if you have bought the one that lays down all the way then you will need a much bigger space compared to those reclines very little.But if you want to save as much space as possible then you must not purchase chairs that reclines too much, you should go for the ones that reclines very little. So, if your goal is purchase a good recliner and save some space as well, you should follow this principle and this way you don’t have to place the chair very far from the wall. There are a lot of well-designed and even best-selling recliners that does not recline too much.