Per capita plastic waste exports and imports by income group in Ireland
Ireland: Per capita plastic waste exports and imports by income group was 5.85 kilograms in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Per capita plastic waste exports and imports by income group in Ireland, 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
Ireland recorded 5.85 kilograms for per capita plastic waste exports and imports by income group in 2024.
That represents a change of down 4.9% on the previous year and down 66.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita plastic waste exports and imports by income group in Ireland peaked at 18.74 kilograms in 2008 and was at its lowest, 0 kilograms, in 2015.
That places Ireland 17th out of 172 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Per capita plastic waste exports and imports by income group in Ireland, year by year
| Year | kilograms | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 18.74 kilograms | — |
| 2009 | 17.12 kilograms | -8.6% |
| 2010 | 17.88 kilograms | +4.4% |
| 2011 | 17.37 kilograms | -2.9% |
| 2012 | 15.77 kilograms | -9.2% |
| 2013 | 16.43 kilograms | +4.2% |
| 2014 | 17.52 kilograms | +6.6% |
| 2015 | 0 kilograms | -100.0% |
| 2016 | 0 kilograms | — |
| 2017 | 0 kilograms | — |
| 2018 | 17.94 kilograms | — |
| 2019 | 0 kilograms | -100.0% |
| 2020 | 0 kilograms | — |
| 2021 | 9.3 kilograms | — |
| 2022 | 7.99 kilograms | -14.1% |
| 2023 | 6.15 kilograms | -23.0% |
| 2024 | 5.85 kilograms | -4.9% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 5.85 kilograms is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.1847 kilograms, 31.7× the median. (66 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 5.85 kilograms is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.5002 kilograms, 11.7× the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 17.93 kilograms | 17.12 kilograms | 18.74 kilograms | 2 |
| 2010s | 10.29 kilograms | 0 kilograms | 17.94 kilograms | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.86 kilograms | 0 kilograms | 9.3 kilograms | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More environment data for Ireland
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 2.51 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 2.17 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.412 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.89 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -1.13 % 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 -0.0083 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is per capita plastic waste exports and imports by income group in Ireland?
- Per capita plastic waste exports and imports by income group in Ireland was 5.85 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 Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 18.74 kilograms in 2008.
- What is the lowest per capita plastic waste exports and imports by income group recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 kilograms in 2015.
- How does Ireland rank for per capita plastic waste exports and imports by income group?
- Ireland ranks 17th out of 172 countries with data for 2024.
- Is per capita plastic waste exports and imports by income group rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 66.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ireland 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Amount of plastic waste imported per person, measured in kilograms per person per year.