Per capita plastic waste exports and imports by income group in Romania

Romania: Per capita plastic waste exports and imports by income group was 3.07 kilograms in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
3.07 kilograms
Change on year
up 5.9%
World rank
22nd
of 172 countries
All-time high
5.09 kilograms
in 2019
All-time low
0 kilograms
in 2021
Years of data
17
2008–2024

Per capita plastic waste exports and imports by income group in Romania, 2008–2024

02462008201620242008: 0.265 kilograms2009: 0.131 kilograms2010: 0.301 kilograms2011: 0.789 kilograms2012: 1.2 kilograms2013: 1.5 kilograms2014: 1.9 kilograms2015: 1.7 kilograms2016: 2.8 kilograms2017: 3.4 kilograms2018: 4.3 kilograms2019: 5.1 kilograms2020: 3.7 kilograms2021: 0 kilograms2022: 3.4 kilograms2023: 2.9 kilograms2024: 3.1 kilograms

Source: United Nations Comtrade Database (2025); United Nations Comtrade Database (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in kilograms.

Analysis

In 2024, per capita plastic waste exports and imports by income group in Romania stood at 3.07 kilograms.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.9% on the previous year and up 59.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, per capita plastic waste exports and imports by income group in Romania peaked at 5.09 kilograms in 2019 and was at its lowest, 0 kilograms, in 2021.

That places Romania 22nd out of 172 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

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 Romania, year by year

Annual values for Per capita plastic waste exports and imports by income group in Romania, 2008 to 2024.
Year kilograms Change
2008 0.2653 kilograms —
2009 0.1313 kilograms -50.5%
2010 0.3009 kilograms +129.1%
2011 0.7886 kilograms +162.1%
2012 1.18 kilograms +49.2%
2013 1.48 kilograms +26.1%
2014 1.93 kilograms +30.2%
2015 1.67 kilograms -13.4%
2016 2.84 kilograms +70.1%
2017 3.36 kilograms +18.3%
2018 4.33 kilograms +28.8%
2019 5.09 kilograms +17.6%
2020 3.72 kilograms -27.0%
2021 0 kilograms -100.0%
2022 3.42 kilograms —
2023 2.9 kilograms -15.1%
2024 3.07 kilograms +5.9%

Romania compared with similar countries

  • Romania's 3.07 kilograms is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.1847 kilograms, 16.6× the median. (66 countries reporting)
  • Romania's 3.07 kilograms is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.5002 kilograms, 6.1× the median. (49 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 0.1983 kilograms 0.1313 kilograms 0.2653 kilograms 2
2010s 2.3 kilograms 0.3009 kilograms 5.09 kilograms 10
2020s 2.62 kilograms 0 kilograms 3.72 kilograms 5

Countries ranked near Romania

  1. 19 Canada 3.94 kilograms compare
  2. 20 Palau 3.71 kilograms compare
  3. 21 Italy 3.41 kilograms compare
  4. 23 Laos 2.87 kilograms compare
  5. 24 Vietnam 2.56 kilograms compare
  6. 25 Serbia 2.48 kilograms compare

See the full ranking of 172 places →

More environment data for Romania

All data for Romania →

Frequently asked questions

What is per capita plastic waste exports and imports by income group in Romania?
Per capita plastic waste exports and imports by income group in Romania was 3.07 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 Romania?
The highest recorded value was 5.09 kilograms in 2019.
What is the lowest per capita plastic waste exports and imports by income group recorded in Romania?
The lowest recorded value was 0 kilograms in 2021.
How does Romania rank for per capita plastic waste exports and imports by income group?
Romania ranks 22nd out of 172 countries with data for 2024.
Is per capita plastic waste exports and imports by income group rising or falling in Romania?
Over the last ten years it is up 59.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Romania 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).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Per capita plastic waste exports and imports by income group in Romania. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Comtrade Database (2025); United Nations Comtrade Database (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 02 October 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/imports-exports-plastic-income-group/romania/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/imports-exports-plastic-income-group/romania/">Per capita plastic waste exports and imports by income group in Romania</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Per capita plastic waste exports and imports by income group
Unit
kilograms
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
172 places, 2,459 data points, 2008–2024
Last refreshed

Amount of plastic waste imported per person, measured in kilograms per person per year.