How many years of comparable data are there for Democratic Republic of Congo and Malawi?

5 years are reported by both, from 2017 to 2021.

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.

Democratic Republic of Congo vs Malawi: Plastic waste exports

Democratic Republic of Congo

20.5 tonnes

in 2023

Malawi

30.2 tonnes

in 2021

Democratic Republic of Congo rank

131st

Malawi rank

130th

Plastic waste exports over time

Democratic Republic of Congo
Malawi

How they compare

Malawi currently reports 30.2 tonnes against 20.5 tonnes in Democratic Republic of Congo, a difference of 9.7 tonnes.

That makes Malawi's figure about 1.5 times Democratic Republic of Congo's.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 5 shared years of data; in 2017 it was Malawi ahead.

Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 131st and Malawi ranks 130th of 167 countries.

Across the 2 decades both report, Democratic Republic of Congo averaged higher in 1 and Malawi in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Democratic Republic of Congo	Malawi	Difference	Ahead
2010s	52.67 tonnes	146.46 tonnes	93.8 tonnes	Malawi
2020s	84.52 tonnes	27.95 tonnes	56.57 tonnes	Democratic Republic of Congo

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher plastic waste exports, Democratic Republic of Congo or Malawi?: Malawi, at 30.2 tonnes against 20.5 tonnes in Democratic Republic of Congo as of 2021.
What is the difference in plastic waste exports between Democratic Republic of Congo and Malawi?: 9.7 tonnes, with Malawi ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Democratic Republic of Congo and Malawi?: 5 years are reported by both, from 2017 to 2021.
How do Democratic Republic of Congo and Malawi rank globally for plastic waste exports?: Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 131st and Malawi ranks 130th 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.

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Democratic Republic of Congo vs Malawi: Plastic waste exports. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Comtrade Database (2025); United Nations Comtrade Database (2023) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/compare/plastic-waste-trade/congo-dem-rep/malawi/

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About this data

Indicator: Plastic waste exports
Unit: tonnes
Source: United Nations Comtrade Database (2025); United Nations Comtrade Database (2023) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 167 places, 3,957 data points, 1988–2024
Last refreshed: 18 September 2026

Amount of plastic waste a country exports to other countries, measured in tonnes per year.