Plastic waste exports by country
The amount of plastic waste a country exports to other countries, measured in tonnes per year.
Countries reporting
164
Highest
683,123 tonnes
Japan
Lowest
0 tonnes
United States
Median
1,338 tonnes
Years covered
37
1988–2024
Data points
3,957
What the numbers show
Plastic waste exports is currently reported for 164 countries. The highest value is 683,123 tonnes in Japan; the lowest is 0 tonnes in United States.
The median across all reporting countries is 1,338 tonnes, and the mean is 21,698 tonnes.
Over the past decade 72 countries rose and 86 fell. The largest increase was in Antigua and Barbuda (up 803,950.0%), and the largest decrease in United Arab Emirates (down 100.0%).
Plastic waste exports: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japan | 683,123 tonnes | 2024 | down 59.1% | volatile |
| 2 | Netherlands | 557,595 tonnes | 2024 | — | rising |
| 3 | Belgium | 362,024 tonnes | 2024 | up 12.9% | rising |
| 4 | Poland | 138,380 tonnes | 2024 | down 0.3% | volatile |
| 5 | Sweden | 122,610 tonnes | 2024 | up 22.8% | volatile |
| 6 | Slovenia | 115,869 tonnes | 2024 | up 18.7% | volatile |
| 7 | Czechia | 115,364 tonnes | 2024 | down 4.6% | volatile |
| 8 | Philippines | 101,872 tonnes | 2024 | down 25.6% | volatile |
| 9 | Denmark | 87,149 tonnes | 2024 | up 6.0% | volatile |
| 10 | Switzerland | 86,849 tonnes | 2024 | down 17.5% | volatile |
| 12 | Norway | 68,644 tonnes | 2024 | up 14.9% | volatile |
| 13 | Greece | 63,644 tonnes | 2024 | up 81.7% | volatile |
| 14 | China | 63,180 tonnes | 2024 | up 48.1% | volatile |
| 15 | Portugal | 53,082 tonnes | 2024 | down 15.5% | volatile |
| 16 | Croatia | 52,151 tonnes | 2024 | up 302.6% | volatile |
| 17 | Vietnam | 49,508 tonnes | 2023 | down 77.8% | volatile |
| 18 | South Africa | 44,367 tonnes | 2024 | up 42.7% | volatile |
| 19 | Indonesia | 42,926 tonnes | 2023 | down 81.5% | volatile |
| 20 | Tunisia | 42,528 tonnes | 2023 | up 41.0% | volatile |
| 21 | Slovakia | 41,139 tonnes | 2024 | down 1.3% | volatile |
| 22 | Bangladesh | 39,011 tonnes | 2015 | up 229.8% | volatile |
| 23 | Russia | 35,846 tonnes | 2021 | up 260.5% | volatile |
| 24 | Dominican Republic | 31,074 tonnes | 2024 | up 5.6% | volatile |
| 25 | Australia | 28,020 tonnes | 2024 | down 84.9% | volatile |
| 26 | New Zealand | 27,275 tonnes | 2024 | down 43.4% | volatile |
| 27 | Saudi Arabia | 25,779 tonnes | 2024 | down 62.7% | volatile |
| 28 | Finland | 24,903 tonnes | 2024 | down 26.8% | volatile |
| 29 | Israel | 24,209 tonnes | 2024 | up 143.5% | volatile |
| 30 | Tanzania | 22,310 tonnes | 2023 | up 40.2% | volatile |
| 31 | Iran | 21,047 tonnes | 2018 | up 77.7% | volatile |
| 32 | Honduras | 19,039 tonnes | 2023 | up 65.2% | volatile |
| 33 | Latvia | 18,694 tonnes | 2024 | up 55.6% | volatile |
| 34 | Jamaica | 16,938 tonnes | 2023 | up 2,202.8% | volatile |
| 35 | Estonia | 16,459 tonnes | 2024 | down 6.0% | volatile |
| 36 | Lithuania | 16,322 tonnes | 2024 | down 32.6% | volatile |
| 37 | Belarus | 16,256 tonnes | 2021 | up 323.0% | volatile |
| 38 | Bulgaria | 15,529 tonnes | 2024 | up 53.6% | volatile |
| 39 | Pakistan | 15,461 tonnes | 2024 | down 63.0% | volatile |
| 40 | Uganda | 13,622 tonnes | 2023 | up 194.3% | volatile |
| 41 | Sudan | 11,443 tonnes | 2018 | up 397.7% | rising |
| 42 | Turkey | 10,567 tonnes | 2024 | down 47.2% | volatile |
| 43 | Cyprus | 10,107 tonnes | 2024 | up 28.8% | volatile |
| 45 | Nicaragua | 9,325 tonnes | 2023 | down 15.6% | volatile |
| 46 | Brazil | 8,988 tonnes | 2024 | up 53.1% | volatile |
| 47 | El Salvador | 8,675 tonnes | 2024 | down 29.8% | volatile |
| 48 | Nigeria | 8,319 tonnes | 2024 | up 871.8% | volatile |
| 49 | Iceland | 7,721 tonnes | 2024 | up 74.5% | volatile |
| 50 | Guatemala | 7,155 tonnes | 2024 | down 51.6% | volatile |
| 51 | Mauritania | 6,843 tonnes | 2023 | up 2,772.4% | volatile |
| 52 | Tajikistan | 6,675 tonnes | 2023 | up 410.6% | volatile |
| 53 | Chile | 6,656 tonnes | 2024 | down 55.5% | volatile |
| 54 | Myanmar | 6,543 tonnes | 2024 | up 4,759.3% | volatile |
| 55 | Hong Kong | 6,535 tonnes | 2024 | down 99.8% | volatile |
| 56 | Costa Rica | 6,468 tonnes | 2023 | down 32.3% | volatile |
| 57 | Kenya | 6,275 tonnes | 2023 | down 19.7% | volatile |
| 58 | Venezuela | 5,834 tonnes | 2013 | up 285.8% | volatile |
| 59 | Morocco | 5,174 tonnes | 2023 | down 65.8% | volatile |
| 60 | North Macedonia | 4,985 tonnes | 2024 | down 18.5% | volatile |
| 61 | Syria | 4,912 tonnes | 2010 | up 10,828.2% | volatile |
| 62 | Kuwait | 4,612 tonnes | 2023 | down 63.1% | falling |
| 63 | Colombia | 4,601 tonnes | 2023 | up 33.2% | volatile |
| 64 | Panama | 4,563 tonnes | 2024 | down 27.4% | volatile |
| 66 | Albania | 4,167 tonnes | 2016 | up 365.9% | volatile |
| 67 | Ecuador | 3,917 tonnes | 2024 | down 88.7% | volatile |
| 68 | Andorra | 3,556 tonnes | 2023 | up 368.4% | volatile |
| 69 | Laos | 3,375 tonnes | 2023 | up 742.4% | volatile |
| 70 | Libya | 3,373 tonnes | 2019 | up 3,059.8% | volatile |
| 71 | Namibia | 3,283 tonnes | 2024 | up 112.1% | volatile |
| 72 | Ethiopia | 3,161 tonnes | 2023 | up 405.5% | volatile |
| 73 | Argentina | 3,050 tonnes | 2017 | down 94.3% | volatile |
| 74 | Mali | 2,739 tonnes | 2019 | up 783.6% | volatile |
| 75 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2,682 tonnes | 2024 | down 71.4% | volatile |
| 76 | India | 2,621 tonnes | 2024 | down 70.1% | volatile |
| 77 | Mauritius | 2,414 tonnes | 2024 | up 57.2% | volatile |
| 78 | Zimbabwe | 2,142 tonnes | 2024 | up 258.3% | volatile |
| 79 | Burkina Faso | 2,119 tonnes | 2024 | up 2,101.0% | volatile |
| 80 | Mozambique | 1,951 tonnes | 2023 | up 1,169.3% | volatile |
| 81 | Serbia | 1,788 tonnes | 2024 | down 88.4% | volatile |
| 82 | Algeria | 1,544 tonnes | 2017 | up 594.1% | volatile |
| 83 | Zambia | 1,492 tonnes | 2023 | up 580.5% | volatile |
| 84 | Cote d'Ivoire | 1,467 tonnes | 2023 | down 24.1% | volatile |
| 85 | Bolivia | 1,451 tonnes | 2024 | down 72.6% | volatile |
| 86 | Cambodia | 1,226 tonnes | 2023 | down 82.8% | volatile |
| 87 | Bhutan | 1,188 tonnes | 2012 | up 181.4% | rising |
| 88 | Barbados | 1,136 tonnes | 2024 | up 8.4% | volatile |
| 89 | Iraq | 1,099 tonnes | 2016 | — | volatile |
| 90 | Togo | 1,090 tonnes | 2024 | up 1,457.2% | volatile |
| 91 | Mongolia | 1,066 tonnes | 2019 | down 77.7% | volatile |
| 92 | Rwanda | 963.54 tonnes | 2022 | up 2,702.5% | volatile |
| 93 | Trinidad and Tobago | 962.33 tonnes | 2024 | down 24.8% | volatile |
| 94 | Ukraine | 957.58 tonnes | 2024 | down 58.5% | volatile |
| 95 | Sri Lanka | 912.6 tonnes | 2024 | down 38.1% | volatile |
| 96 | Paraguay | 827.54 tonnes | 2024 | up 1,089.2% | volatile |
| 97 | Uruguay | 815.31 tonnes | 2023 | down 62.1% | volatile |
| 98 | Maldives | 812.88 tonnes | 2024 | up 89.9% | volatile |
| 99 | Eswatini | 778.24 tonnes | 2023 | down 4.7% | volatile |
| 100 | Peru | 736.57 tonnes | 2024 | down 33.0% | volatile |
| 101 | Yemen | 720 tonnes | 2018 | down 95.2% | volatile |
| 102 | Senegal | 707.55 tonnes | 2023 | up 63.1% | volatile |
| 103 | Botswana | 662.47 tonnes | 2023 | up 124.1% | volatile |
| 104 | Georgia | 622.87 tonnes | 2024 | down 49.0% | volatile |
| 105 | Kyrgyzstan | 596.58 tonnes | 2024 | down 77.6% | volatile |
| 106 | Uzbekistan | 530.42 tonnes | 2024 | up 307.0% | volatile |
| 107 | Montenegro | 527.24 tonnes | 2024 | down 23.3% | volatile |
| 108 | Belize | 486.25 tonnes | 2024 | down 78.9% | volatile |
| 109 | Suriname | 447.04 tonnes | 2024 | down 22.1% | volatile |
| 110 | Burundi | 431.62 tonnes | 2022 | up 2,640.4% | volatile |
| 111 | French Polynesia | 373.27 tonnes | 2022 | up 13.7% | volatile |
| 112 | Congo | 346.11 tonnes | 2021 | up 41,399.4% | volatile |
| 113 | Cuba | 335.14 tonnes | 2018 | up 244.5% | volatile |
| 114 | Armenia | 285.63 tonnes | 2024 | up 159.5% | volatile |
| 115 | Cameroon | 218.22 tonnes | 2023 | up 286.2% | volatile |
| 116 | Macao | 181.03 tonnes | 2024 | down 85.5% | volatile |
| 117 | Egypt | 170.75 tonnes | 2024 | down 69.2% | volatile |
| 118 | Central African Republic | 135.02 tonnes | 2019 | up 58.1% | volatile |
| 119 | Azerbaijan | 131.19 tonnes | 2024 | down 54.3% | volatile |
| 120 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 130.19 tonnes | 2023 | up 247.7% | volatile |
| 121 | Faroe Islands | 128.73 tonnes | 2009 | up 661.0% | volatile |
| 122 | Greenland | 120.5 tonnes | 2018 | up 502.5% | volatile |
| 123 | Bahamas | 100.48 tonnes | 2019 | down 82.3% | volatile |
| 124 | Palau | 92.68 tonnes | 2018 | up 660.0% | volatile |
| 125 | New Caledonia | 41.38 tonnes | 2015 | up 630.5% | volatile |
| 126 | Benin | 40.36 tonnes | 2023 | down 90.5% | volatile |
| 127 | Moldova | 40.12 tonnes | 2024 | down 65.4% | volatile |
| 128 | Guyana | 38 tonnes | 2024 | down 61.6% | volatile |
| 129 | Lesotho | 31.01 tonnes | 2021 | up 127.6% | volatile |
| 130 | Malawi | 30.2 tonnes | 2021 | down 45.4% | volatile |
| 131 | Democratic Republic of Congo | 20.5 tonnes | 2023 | up 156.2% | volatile |
| 132 | Grenada | 17.44 tonnes | 2021 | up 7,547.8% | volatile |
| 133 | Antigua and Barbuda | 16.08 tonnes | 2018 | up 803,950.0% | volatile |
| 134 | Saint Lucia | 15.41 tonnes | 2020 | down 86.0% | volatile |
| 135 | Madagascar | 11.1 tonnes | 2023 | down 84.2% | volatile |
| 136 | Samoa | 10 tonnes | 2023 | up 25.0% | volatile |
| 137 | Niger | 10 tonnes | 2023 | down 61.4% | volatile |
| 138 | Nepal | 8 tonnes | 2022 | down 71.6% | volatile |
| 139 | Brunei | 7 tonnes | 2023 | down 97.7% | volatile |
| 140 | Kiribati | 2.5 tonnes | 2017 | down 67.9% | volatile |
| 141 | Angola | 2.03 tonnes | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 142 | East Timor | 1 tonnes | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 143 | Papua New Guinea | 0.828 tonnes | 2012 | down 99.5% | volatile |
| 144 | United Arab Emirates | 0 tonnes | 2023 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 144 | Austria | 0 tonnes | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 144 | Bahrain | 0 tonnes | 2023 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 144 | Canada | 0 tonnes | 2024 | down 100.0% | rising |
| 144 | Germany | 0 tonnes | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 144 | Spain | 0 tonnes | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 144 | Fiji | 0 tonnes | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 144 | France | 0 tonnes | 2024 | down 100.0% | rising |
| 144 | United Kingdom | 0 tonnes | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 144 | Ghana | 0 tonnes | 2023 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 144 | Hungary | 0 tonnes | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 144 | Italy | 0 tonnes | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 144 | Jordan | 0 tonnes | 2023 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 144 | Kazakhstan | 0 tonnes | 2023 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 144 | South Korea | 0 tonnes | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 144 | Lebanon | 0 tonnes | 2023 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 144 | Mexico | 0 tonnes | 2024 | — | volatile |
| 144 | Malaysia | 0 tonnes | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 144 | Oman | 0 tonnes | 2023 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 144 | Qatar | 0 tonnes | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 144 | Romania | 0 tonnes | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 144 | Singapore | 0 tonnes | 2023 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 144 | Thailand | 0 tonnes | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 144 | United States | 0 tonnes | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
About this data
The amount of plastic waste a country exports to other countries, measured in tonnes per year.