Plastic waste exports in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Plastic waste exports was 20.5 tonnes in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Plastic waste exports in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2017–2023
Source: United Nations Comtrade Database (2025); United Nations Comtrade Database (2023) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 20.5 tonnes for plastic waste exports in 2023.
That represents a change of down 87.9% on the previous year and up 156.2% over ten years.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 131st out of 167 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 52.67 tonnes | 8 tonnes | 128 tonnes | 3 |
| 2020s | 63.18 tonnes | 0.033 tonnes | 169 tonnes | 3 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More environment data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 58.49 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 0.5353 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 3.5 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 7.67 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 17.49 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.0166 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 42.16 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.0035 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.024 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 13.45 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is plastic waste exports in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Plastic waste exports in Democratic Republic of Congo was 20.5 tonnes in 2023, 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 Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 169 tonnes in 2021.
- What is the lowest plastic waste exports recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.033 tonnes in 2020.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for plastic waste exports?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 131st out of 167 countries with data for 2023.
- Is plastic waste exports rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 156.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo 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.
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About this data
The amount of plastic waste a country exports to other countries, measured in tonnes per year.