Japan vs Netherlands: Plastic waste exports
Japan
683,123 tonnes
in 2024
Netherlands
557,595 tonnes
in 2024
Japan rank
1st
Netherlands rank
2nd
Plastic waste exports over time
- Japan
- Netherlands
How they compare
Japan currently reports 683,123 tonnes against 557,595 tonnes in Netherlands, a difference of 125,528 tonnes.
That makes Japan's figure about 1.2 times Netherlands's.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 33 shared years of data; in 1992 it was Netherlands ahead.
Japan ranks 1st and Netherlands ranks 2nd of 167 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Japan averaged higher in 3 and Netherlands in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | Netherlands | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 119,447 tonnes | 181,012 tonnes | 61,564 tonnes | Netherlands |
| 2000s | 964,474 tonnes | 320,857 tonnes | 643,616 tonnes | Japan |
| 2010s | 1.48 million tonnes | 373,378 tonnes | 1.10 million tonnes | Japan |
| 2020s | 659,379 tonnes | 558,404 tonnes | 100,974 tonnes | Japan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher plastic waste exports, Japan or Netherlands?
- Japan, at 683,123 tonnes against 557,595 tonnes in Netherlands as of 2024.
- What is the difference in plastic waste exports between Japan and Netherlands?
- 125,528 tonnes, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and Netherlands?
- 33 years are reported by both, from 1992 to 2024.
- How do Japan and Netherlands rank globally for plastic waste exports?
- Japan ranks 1st and Netherlands ranks 2nd 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.