Netherlands vs Sweden: Share of plastic waste exports

Netherlands
17.4%
in 2024
Sweden
3.8%
in 2024
Netherlands rank
2nd
Sweden rank
5th

Share of plastic waste exports over time

  • Netherlands
  • Sweden
051015199420092024

How they compare

Netherlands currently reports 17.4% against 3.8% in Sweden, a difference of 13.6%.

That makes Netherlands's figure about 4.5 times Sweden's.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 21 shared years of data; in 1994 it was Netherlands ahead.

Netherlands ranks 2nd and Sweden ranks 5th of 162 countries.

Netherlands has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Netherlands Sweden Difference Ahead
1990s 7.2% 0.8% 6.4% Netherlands
2000s 4.4% 0.5% 3.8% Netherlands
2010s 3.5% 0.9% 2.6% Netherlands
2020s 13.3% 2.8% 10.5% Netherlands

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher share of plastic waste exports, Netherlands or Sweden?
Netherlands, at 17.4% against 3.8% in Sweden as of 2024.
What is the difference in share of plastic waste exports between Netherlands and Sweden?
13.6%, with Netherlands ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Netherlands and Sweden?
21 years are reported by both, from 1994 to 2024.
How do Netherlands and Sweden rank globally for share of plastic waste exports?
Netherlands ranks 2nd and Sweden ranks 5th of 162 countries.
Where does this data come from?
United Nations Comtrade Database (2025); United Nations Comtrade Database (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of plastic waste exports. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Share of plastic waste exports
Unit
%
Source
United Nations Comtrade Database (2025); United Nations Comtrade Database (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
162 places, 2,674 data points, 1988–2024
Last refreshed

The percentage of global plastic waste exports that a country accounts for.