China vs Ireland: Plastic waste exports
China
63,180 tonnes
in 2024
Ireland
70,923 tonnes
in 2024
China rank
14th
Ireland rank
11th
Plastic waste exports over time
- China
- Ireland
How they compare
Ireland currently reports 70,923 tonnes against 63,180 tonnes in China, a difference of 7,743 tonnes.
That makes Ireland's figure about 1.1 times China's.
The two have swapped places 7 times across 33 shared years of data; in 1992 it was China ahead.
China ranks 14th and Ireland ranks 11th of 167 countries.
China has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Ireland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10,463 tonnes | 1,175 tonnes | 9,288 tonnes | China |
| 2000s | 36,211 tonnes | 12,458 tonnes | 23,753 tonnes | China |
| 2010s | 44,646 tonnes | 11,675 tonnes | 32,971 tonnes | China |
| 2020s | 49,537 tonnes | 24,202 tonnes | 25,335 tonnes | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher plastic waste exports, China or Ireland?
- Ireland, at 70,923 tonnes against 63,180 tonnes in China as of 2024.
- What is the difference in plastic waste exports between China and Ireland?
- 7,743 tonnes, with Ireland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Ireland?
- 33 years are reported by both, from 1992 to 2024.
- How do China and Ireland rank globally for plastic waste exports?
- China ranks 14th and Ireland ranks 11th of 167 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- United Nations Comtrade Database (2025); United Nations Comtrade Database (2023) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Plastic waste exports. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Amount of plastic waste a country exports to other countries, measured in tonnes per year.