Plastic waste per capita imports vs. exports in Denmark

Denmark: Plastic waste per capita imports vs. exports was 16.06 kilograms in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
16.06 kilograms
Change on year
up 30.0%
World rank
8th
of 183 countries
All-time high
17.81 kilograms
in 2022
All-time low
1.18 kilograms
in 1991
Years of data
36
1989–2024

Plastic waste per capita imports vs. exports in Denmark, 1989–2024

051015201989200620241989: 1.4 kilograms1990: 1.2 kilograms1991: 1.2 kilograms1992: 1.8 kilograms1993: 1.2 kilograms1994: 1.2 kilograms1995: 2.4 kilograms1996: 2.9 kilograms1997: 3.9 kilograms1998: 3.5 kilograms1999: 4.4 kilograms2000: 5.5 kilograms2001: 4.5 kilograms2002: 10.2 kilograms2003: 7.9 kilograms2004: 11 kilograms2005: 11 kilograms2006: 7.7 kilograms2007: 4.7 kilograms2008: 5.8 kilograms2009: 4.1 kilograms2010: 6.4 kilograms2011: 12.1 kilograms2012: 12 kilograms2013: 5.9 kilograms2014: 5.1 kilograms2015: 5.9 kilograms2016: 6.7 kilograms2017: 6.3 kilograms2018: 14.5 kilograms2019: 15.7 kilograms2020: 4.6 kilograms2021: 7.6 kilograms2022: 17.8 kilograms2023: 12.4 kilograms2024: 16.1 kilograms

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for plastic waste per capita imports vs. exports in Denmark is 16.06 kilograms, measured in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 30.0% on the previous year and up 213.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, plastic waste per capita imports vs. exports in Denmark peaked at 17.81 kilograms in 2022 and was at its lowest, 1.18 kilograms, in 1991.

Denmark ranks 8th of 183 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Plastic waste per capita imports vs. exports in Denmark, year by year

Annual values for Plastic waste per capita imports vs. exports in Denmark, 1989 to 2024.
Year kilograms Change
1989 1.44 kilograms —
1990 1.19 kilograms -17.3%
1991 1.18 kilograms -1.2%
1992 1.79 kilograms +51.8%
1993 1.2 kilograms -33.0%
1994 1.23 kilograms +2.1%
1995 2.4 kilograms +95.3%
1996 2.88 kilograms +20.2%
1997 3.89 kilograms +35.1%
1998 3.48 kilograms -10.6%
1999 4.41 kilograms +27.0%
2000 5.49 kilograms +24.4%
2001 4.51 kilograms -17.8%
2002 10.19 kilograms +125.8%
2003 7.94 kilograms -22.1%
2004 11.03 kilograms +38.9%
2005 11.02 kilograms -0.1%
2006 7.72 kilograms -29.9%
2007 4.71 kilograms -39.0%
2008 5.77 kilograms +22.6%
2009 4.06 kilograms -29.8%
2010 6.39 kilograms +57.7%
2011 12.08 kilograms +88.9%
2012 11.99 kilograms -0.7%
2013 5.86 kilograms -51.1%
2014 5.12 kilograms -12.7%
2015 5.89 kilograms +15.1%
2016 6.73 kilograms +14.3%
2017 6.28 kilograms -6.6%
2018 14.54 kilograms +131.4%
2019 15.73 kilograms +8.2%
2020 4.61 kilograms -70.7%
2021 7.58 kilograms +64.5%
2022 17.81 kilograms +134.8%
2023 12.35 kilograms -30.6%
2024 16.06 kilograms +30.0%

Denmark compared with similar countries

  • Denmark's 16.06 kilograms is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.1847 kilograms, 87.0× the median. (68 countries reporting)
  • Denmark's 16.06 kilograms is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.4987 kilograms, 32.2× the median. (50 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 1.44 kilograms 1.44 kilograms 1.44 kilograms 1
1990s 2.36 kilograms 1.18 kilograms 4.41 kilograms 10
2000s 7.25 kilograms 4.06 kilograms 11.03 kilograms 10
2010s 9.06 kilograms 5.12 kilograms 15.73 kilograms 10
2020s 11.68 kilograms 4.61 kilograms 17.81 kilograms 5

Countries ranked near Denmark

  1. 5 Austria 20.25 kilograms compare
  2. 6 Czechia 19.99 kilograms compare
  3. 7 Sweden 16.92 kilograms compare
  4. 9 Luxembourg 14.01 kilograms compare
  5. 10 Malaysia 12.19 kilograms compare
  6. 11 Croatia 11.91 kilograms compare

See the full ranking of 183 places →

More environment data for Denmark

All data for Denmark →

Frequently asked questions

What is plastic waste per capita imports vs. exports in Denmark?
Plastic waste per capita imports vs. exports in Denmark was 16.06 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 Denmark?
The highest recorded value was 17.81 kilograms in 2022.
What is the lowest plastic waste per capita imports vs. exports recorded in Denmark?
The lowest recorded value was 1.18 kilograms in 1991.
How does Denmark rank for plastic waste per capita imports vs. exports?
Denmark ranks 8th out of 183 countries with data for 2024.
Is plastic waste per capita imports vs. exports rising or falling in Denmark?
Over the last ten years it is up 213.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Denmark 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.

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Plastic waste per capita imports vs. exports in Denmark. 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/plastic-waste-per-capita-imports-vs-exports/denmark/

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About this data

Indicator
Plastic waste per capita imports vs. exports
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
183 places, 4,496 data points, 1988–2024
Last refreshed

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