Plastic waste exports in El Salvador

El Salvador: Plastic waste exports was 8,675 tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
8,675 tonnes
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
47th
of 167 countries
All-time high
53,983 tonnes
in 2008
All-time low
40.9 tonnes
in 1995
Years of data
30
1994–2024

Plastic waste exports in El Salvador, 1994–2024

020.0k40.0k60.0k1994200920241994: 44.6 tonnes1995: 40.9 tonnes1996: 394.1 tonnes1998: 525.8 tonnes1999: 917.4 tonnes2000: 837.8 tonnes2001: 834.9 tonnes2002: 1.2k tonnes2003: 1.4k tonnes2004: 1.5k tonnes2005: 4.6k tonnes2006: 6.8k tonnes2007: 6.9k tonnes2008: 54.0k tonnes2009: 8.3k tonnes2010: 11.2k tonnes2011: 13.6k tonnes2012: 14.3k tonnes2013: 14.3k tonnes2014: 12.4k tonnes2015: 12.0k tonnes2016: 8.6k tonnes2017: 8.8k tonnes2018: 9.7k tonnes2019: 10.4k tonnes2020: 7.1k tonnes2021: 9.5k tonnes2022: 10.6k tonnes2023: 8.6k tonnes2024: 8.7k tonnes

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 El Salvador is 8,675 tonnes, measured in 2024.

That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and down 29.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, plastic waste exports in El Salvador peaked at 53,983 tonnes in 2008 and was at its lowest, 40.9 tonnes, in 1995.

El Salvador ranks 47th of 167 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 384.56 tonnes 40.9 tonnes 917.42 tonnes 5
2000s 8,640 tonnes 834.9 tonnes 53,983 tonnes 10
2010s 11,526 tonnes 8,586 tonnes 14,338 tonnes 10
2020s 8,895 tonnes 7,059 tonnes 10,572 tonnes 5

Countries ranked near El Salvador

  1. 45 Nicaragua 9,325 tonnes compare
  2. 46 Brazil 8,988 tonnes compare
  3. 48 Nigeria 8,319 tonnes compare
  4. 49 Iceland 7,721 tonnes compare
  5. 50 Guatemala 7,155 tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 167 places →

More environment data for El Salvador

All data for El Salvador →

Frequently asked questions

What is plastic waste exports in El Salvador?
Plastic waste exports in El Salvador was 8,675 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 El Salvador?
The highest recorded value was 53,983 tonnes in 2008.
What is the lowest plastic waste exports recorded in El Salvador?
The lowest recorded value was 40.9 tonnes in 1995.
How does El Salvador rank for plastic waste exports?
El Salvador ranks 47th out of 167 countries with data for 2024.
Is plastic waste exports rising or falling in El Salvador?
Over the last ten years it is down 29.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this El Salvador 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 — 30 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.