Per capita plastic waste exports and imports by income group in Belgium
Belgium: Per capita plastic waste exports and imports by income group was 29.66 kilograms in 2024. ▼ Falling
Per capita plastic waste exports and imports by income group in Belgium, 2008–2024
Source: United Nations Comtrade Database (2025); United Nations Comtrade Database (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in kilograms.
Analysis
Belgium recorded 29.66 kilograms for per capita plastic waste exports and imports by income group in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 73.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita plastic waste exports and imports by income group in Belgium peaked at 32.45 kilograms in 2009 and was at its lowest, 0 kilograms, in 2021.
Belgium ranks 4th of 172 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 17 years of available data.
Per capita plastic waste exports and imports by income group in Belgium, year by year
| Year | kilograms | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 27.41 kilograms | — |
| 2009 | 32.45 kilograms | +18.4% |
| 2010 | 15.3 kilograms | -52.9% |
| 2011 | 29.41 kilograms | +92.3% |
| 2012 | 21.05 kilograms | -28.4% |
| 2013 | 20.99 kilograms | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 17.07 kilograms | -18.7% |
| 2015 | 18.03 kilograms | +5.6% |
| 2016 | 17.94 kilograms | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 16.88 kilograms | -5.9% |
| 2018 | 17.96 kilograms | +6.4% |
| 2019 | 17.14 kilograms | -4.6% |
| 2020 | 16.7 kilograms | -2.5% |
| 2021 | 0 kilograms | -100.0% |
| 2022 | 24.28 kilograms | — |
| 2023 | 0 kilograms | -100.0% |
| 2024 | 29.66 kilograms | — |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 29.66 kilograms is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.1847 kilograms, 160.6× the median. (66 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 29.66 kilograms is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.5002 kilograms, 59.3× the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 29.93 kilograms | 27.41 kilograms | 32.45 kilograms | 2 |
| 2010s | 19.18 kilograms | 15.3 kilograms | 29.41 kilograms | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.13 kilograms | 0 kilograms | 29.66 kilograms | 5 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
More environment data for Belgium
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -5.46 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -6.46 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.574 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.19 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.5577 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate 0.0605 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is per capita plastic waste exports and imports by income group in Belgium?
- Per capita plastic waste exports and imports by income group in Belgium was 29.66 kilograms in 2024, according to United Nations Comtrade Database (2025); United Nations Comtrade Database (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest per capita plastic waste exports and imports by income group recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 32.45 kilograms in 2009.
- What is the lowest per capita plastic waste exports and imports by income group recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 kilograms in 2021.
- How does Belgium rank for per capita plastic waste exports and imports by income group?
- Belgium ranks 4th out of 172 countries with data for 2024.
- Is per capita plastic waste exports and imports by income group rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is up 73.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Comtrade Database (2025); United Nations Comtrade Database (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Per capita plastic waste exports and imports by income group. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Amount of plastic waste imported per person, measured in kilograms per person per year.