Plastic waste per capita imports vs. exports in Belgium
Belgium: Plastic waste per capita imports vs. exports was 29.66 kilograms in 2024. ▼ Falling
Plastic waste per capita imports vs. exports in Belgium, 1999–2024
Source: United Nations Comtrade Database (2025); United Nations Comtrade Database (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in kilograms.
Analysis
The most recent figure for plastic waste per capita imports vs. exports in Belgium is 29.66 kilograms, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 73.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, plastic waste per capita imports vs. exports in Belgium peaked at 32.45 kilograms in 2009 and was at its lowest, 0 kilograms, in 2021.
That places Belgium 4th out of 183 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.
Plastic waste per capita imports vs. exports in Belgium, year by year
| Year | kilograms | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 12.88 kilograms | — |
| 2000 | 14.2 kilograms | +10.2% |
| 2001 | 14.61 kilograms | +2.9% |
| 2002 | 13 kilograms | -11.0% |
| 2003 | 13.95 kilograms | +7.3% |
| 2004 | 14.73 kilograms | +5.7% |
| 2005 | 15.1 kilograms | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 23.49 kilograms | +55.5% |
| 2007 | 26.4 kilograms | +12.4% |
| 2008 | 27.41 kilograms | +3.8% |
| 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. (68 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 29.66 kilograms is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.4987 kilograms, 59.5× the median. (50 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Plastic waste per capita imports vs. exports in Belgium changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | -100.0% | 16.7 kilograms | 0 kilograms |
| 2023 | -100.0% | 24.28 kilograms | 0 kilograms |
| 2011 | +92.3% | 15.3 kilograms | 29.41 kilograms |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12.88 kilograms | 12.88 kilograms | 12.88 kilograms | 1 |
| 2000s | 19.53 kilograms | 13 kilograms | 32.45 kilograms | 10 |
| 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 plastic waste per capita imports vs. exports in Belgium?
- Plastic waste per capita imports vs. exports 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 plastic waste per capita imports vs. exports recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 32.45 kilograms in 2009.
- What is the lowest plastic waste per capita imports vs. exports recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 kilograms in 2021.
- How does Belgium rank for plastic waste per capita imports vs. exports?
- Belgium ranks 4th out of 183 countries with data for 2024.
- Is plastic waste per capita imports vs. exports 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 Plastic waste per capita imports vs. exports. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 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.