Germany vs Vietnam: Share of global plastic waste imports

Germany
10.8%
in 2024
Vietnam
5.6%
in 2023
Germany rank
3rd
Vietnam rank
6th

Share of global plastic waste imports over time

  • Germany
  • Vietnam
051015199120072024

How they compare

Germany currently reports 10.8% against 5.6% in Vietnam, a difference of 5.2%.

That makes Germany's figure about 1.9 times Vietnam's.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 22 shared years of data; in 2000 it was Germany ahead.

Germany ranks 3rd and Vietnam ranks 6th of 183 countries.

Across the 3 decades both report, Germany averaged higher in 2 and Vietnam in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade Germany Vietnam Difference Ahead
2000s 1.8% 0.3% 1.5% Germany
2010s 4.1% 1.3% 2.8% Germany
2020s 3.0% 6.0% 3.0% Vietnam

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher share of global plastic waste imports, Germany or Vietnam?
Germany, at 10.8% against 5.6% in Vietnam as of 2024.
What is the difference in share of global plastic waste imports between Germany and Vietnam?
5.2%, with Germany ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Germany and Vietnam?
22 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2023.
How do Germany and Vietnam rank globally for share of global plastic waste imports?
Germany ranks 3rd and Vietnam ranks 6th 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.