Belgium vs Malaysia: Share of global plastic waste imports

Belgium
7.3%
in 2024
Malaysia
9.1%
in 2024
Belgium rank
5th
Malaysia rank
4th

Share of global plastic waste imports over time

  • Belgium
  • Malaysia
02.557.51012.5198920062024

How they compare

Malaysia currently reports 9.1% against 7.3% in Belgium, a difference of 1.8%.

That makes Malaysia's figure about 1.2 times Belgium's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 26 shared years of data; in 1999 it was Belgium ahead.

Belgium ranks 5th and Malaysia ranks 4th of 183 countries.

Across the 4 decades both report, Belgium averaged higher in 2 and Malaysia in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade Belgium Malaysia Difference Ahead
1990s 3.0% 0.2% 2.8% Belgium
2000s 2.1% 0.5% 1.7% Belgium
2010s 1.8% 3.2% 1.4% Malaysia
2020s 3.2% 6.3% 3.1% Malaysia

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher share of global plastic waste imports, Belgium or Malaysia?
Malaysia, at 9.1% against 7.3% in Belgium as of 2024.
What is the difference in share of global plastic waste imports between Belgium and Malaysia?
1.8%, with Malaysia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Belgium and Malaysia?
26 years are reported by both, from 1999 to 2024.
How do Belgium and Malaysia rank globally for share of global plastic waste imports?
Belgium ranks 5th and Malaysia ranks 4th of 183 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 global plastic waste imports. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Share of global plastic waste imports
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
183 places, 4,496 data points, 1988–2024
Last refreshed

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