Plastic waste exports in Bhutan
Bhutan: Plastic waste exports was 1,188 tonnes in 2012. ▲ Rising
Plastic waste exports in Bhutan, 2005–2012
Source: United Nations Comtrade Database (2025); United Nations Comtrade Database (2023) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
The most recent figure for plastic waste exports in Bhutan is 1,188 tonnes, measured in 2012. That is the highest value across all 7 years on record.
That represents a change of up 21.1% on the previous year and up 181.4% over ten years.
That places Bhutan 87th out of 167 countries with data for 2012, putting it in the middle of the range.
Plastic waste exports in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 422.03 tonnes | — |
| 2006 | 400.35 tonnes | -5.1% |
| 2007 | 372.69 tonnes | -6.9% |
| 2009 | 575.68 tonnes | +54.5% |
| 2010 | 732.45 tonnes | +27.2% |
| 2011 | 980.53 tonnes | +33.9% |
| 2012 | 1,188 tonnes | +21.1% |
Bhutan compared with similar countries
- Bhutan's 1,188 tonnes is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1,451 tonnes, 82% of the median. (39 countries reporting)
- Bhutan's 1,188 tonnes is above the median for South Asia, which is 1,050 tonnes, 1.1× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 442.69 tonnes | 372.69 tonnes | 575.68 tonnes | 4 |
| 2010s | 966.9 tonnes | 732.45 tonnes | 1,188 tonnes | 3 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
More environment data for Bhutan
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 0.2782 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 0.5977 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.257 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.08 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.487 % 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 -5.53 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is plastic waste exports in Bhutan?
- Plastic waste exports in Bhutan was 1,188 tonnes in 2012, 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 Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 1,188 tonnes in 2012.
- What is the lowest plastic waste exports recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 372.69 tonnes in 2007.
- How does Bhutan rank for plastic waste exports?
- Bhutan ranks 87th out of 167 countries with data for 2012.
- Is plastic waste exports rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 181.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bhutan 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 — 7 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Amount of plastic waste a country exports to other countries, measured in tonnes per year.