Plastic waste exports in Belgium

Belgium: Plastic waste exports was 362,024 tonnes in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
362,024 tonnes
World rank
3rd
of 167 countries
All-time high
453,559 tonnes
in 2009
All-time low
0 tonnes
in 2023
Years of data
26
1999–2024

Plastic waste exports in Belgium, 1999–2024

0100.0k200.0k300.0k400.0k500.0k1999201120241999: 161.4k tonnes2000: 185.7k tonnes2001: 191.7k tonnes2002: 223.7k tonnes2003: 317.0k tonnes2004: 336.8k tonnes2005: 342.9k tonnes2006: 382.8k tonnes2007: 399.6k tonnes2008: 369.6k tonnes2009: 453.6k tonnes2010: 253.7k tonnes2011: 414.6k tonnes2012: 333.3k tonnes2013: 347.7k tonnes2014: 320.6k tonnes2015: 279.8k tonnes2016: 277.8k tonnes2017: 324.1k tonnes2018: 346.7k tonnes2019: 342.1k tonnes2020: 309.6k tonnes2021: 338.7k tonnes2022: 391.3k tonnes2023: 0 tonnes2024: 362.0k tonnes

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

Analysis

Belgium recorded 362,024 tonnes for plastic waste exports in 2024.

The figure is up 12.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, plastic waste exports in Belgium peaked at 453,559 tonnes in 2009 and was at its lowest, 0 tonnes, in 2023.

Belgium ranks 3rd of 167 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 161,352 tonnes 161,352 tonnes 161,352 tonnes 1
2000s 320,336 tonnes 185,713 tonnes 453,559 tonnes 10
2010s 324,055 tonnes 253,734 tonnes 414,619 tonnes 10
2020s 280,321 tonnes 0 tonnes 391,263 tonnes 5

Countries ranked near Belgium

  1. 1 Japan 683,123 tonnes compare
  2. 2 Netherlands 557,595 tonnes compare
  3. 4 Poland 138,380 tonnes compare
  4. 5 Sweden 122,610 tonnes compare
  5. 6 Slovenia 115,869 tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 167 places →

More environment data for Belgium

All data for Belgium →

Frequently asked questions

What is plastic waste exports in Belgium?
Plastic waste exports in Belgium was 362,024 tonnes in 2024, according to United Nations Comtrade Database (2025); United Nations Comtrade Database (2023) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest plastic waste exports recorded in Belgium?
The highest recorded value was 453,559 tonnes in 2009.
What is the lowest plastic waste exports recorded in Belgium?
The lowest recorded value was 0 tonnes in 2023.
How does Belgium rank for plastic waste exports?
Belgium ranks 3rd out of 167 countries with data for 2024.
Is plastic waste exports rising or falling in Belgium?
Over the last ten years it is up 12.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Belgium data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Comtrade Database (2025); United Nations Comtrade Database (2023) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Plastic waste 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

Indicator
Plastic waste exports
Unit
tonnes
Source
United Nations Comtrade Database (2025); United Nations Comtrade Database (2023) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
167 places, 3,957 data points, 1988–2024
Last refreshed

The amount of plastic waste a country exports to other countries, measured in tonnes per year.