Packaging paper and paperboard — Capacity by country
The database contains data on pulp and paper production, pulp and paper production capacity, information about utilization of recovered paper, and short-term capacity forecasts for major pulp and paper producing countries. The main types of pulp included in this database are wood pulp (mechanical,...
What the numbers show
Packaging paper and paperboard — Capacity is currently reported for 29 countries. The highest value is 50.38 million t in United States; the lowest is 48,000 t in Uruguay.
The median across all reporting countries is 3.89 million t, and the mean is 6.12 million t.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 1,050.
Over the past decade 18 countries rose and 3 fell. The largest increase was in Slovakia (up 390.0%), and the largest decrease in United States (down 8.5%).
Packaging paper and paperboard — Capacity: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 50.38 million t | 2026 | down 8.5% | falling |
| 2 | Japan | 14.27 million t | 2026 | up 1.3% | flat |
| 3 | Germany | 14.13 million t | 2026 | up 10.8% | rising |
| 4 | Brazil | 8.86 million t | 2026 | up 13.6% | rising |
| 5 | Viet Nam | 8.07 million t | 2026 | — | flat |
| 5 | Vietnam | 8.07 million t | 2026 | — | flat |
| 7 | Sweden | 7.66 million t | 2026 | up 10.0% | rising |
| 8 | Republic of Korea | 7.09 million t | 2026 | unchanged | flat |
| 9 | Italy | 6.55 million t | 2026 | up 18.9% | rising |
| 10 | France | 6.43 million t | 2026 | up 19.9% | rising |
| 11 | Mexico | 6.02 million t | 2026 | up 27.1% | rising |
| 12 | Turkey | 5.96 million t | 2026 | — | rising |
| 12 | Türkiye | 5.96 million t | 2026 | — | rising |
| 14 | Spain | 5.12 million t | 2026 | up 9.1% | rising |
| 15 | Thailand | 3.89 million t | 2026 | down 6.7% | flat |
| 16 | Austria | 3.46 million t | 2026 | up 34.1% | rising |
| 17 | Australia | 2.79 million t | 2026 | up 2.1% | flat |
| 18 | Canada | 2.60 million t | 2026 | up 6.1% | falling |
| 19 | United Kingdom | 2.22 million t | 2026 | up 9.6% | rising |
| 19 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 2.22 million t | 2026 | up 9.6% | rising |
| 21 | Philippines | 1.40 million t | 2026 | up 34.9% | rising |
| 22 | Colombia | 966,206 t | 2026 | up 35.5% | rising |
| 23 | Chile | 853,000 t | 2026 | up 1.1% | flat |
| 24 | Czechia | 725,000 t | 2026 | down 4.0% | flat |
| 25 | Hungary | 705,000 t | 2026 | up 0.7% | flat |
| 26 | Portugal | 511,000 t | 2026 | unchanged | flat |
| 27 | Slovakia | 343,000 t | 2026 | up 390.0% | volatile |
| 28 | Belarus | 263,000 t | 2026 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Uruguay | 48,000 t | 2026 | unchanged | flat |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- United States of America 50.38 million t
About this data
The database contains data on pulp and paper production, pulp and paper production capacity, information about utilization of recovered paper, and short-term capacity forecasts for major pulp and paper producing countries. The main types of pulp included in this database are wood pulp (mechanical, thermo-mechanical, semi-chemical pulp, and chemical pulp), pulp of other fibre, and dissolving wood pulp. The main types of paper included in this database are graphic papers (newsprint, printing and writing paper) and other paper and paperboard. The latter is further subdivided into detailed categories of packaging paper and paperboard, household and sanitary paper, and other paper and paperboard not elsewhere specified. The database also provides information about consumption of recovered paper for paper and paperboard making domestically. Refer to this document for detailed definitions: https://www.fao.org/3/cc7461t/cc7461t.pdf#page=11