Plastic waste exports in Finland

Finland: Plastic waste exports was 24,903 tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
24,903 tonnes
World rank
28th
of 167 countries
All-time high
37,599 tonnes
in 2009
All-time low
0 tonnes
in 2019
Years of data
37
1988–2024

Plastic waste exports in Finland, 1988–2024

010.0k20.0k30.0k40.0k1988200620241988: 3.8k tonnes1989: 3.4k tonnes1990: 2.2k tonnes1991: 1.8k tonnes1992: 1.2k tonnes1993: 1.3k tonnes1994: 2.6k tonnes1995: 1.4k tonnes1996: 1.4k tonnes1997: 2.0k tonnes1998: 1.9k tonnes1999: 2.3k tonnes2000: 4.6k tonnes2001: 4.2k tonnes2002: 6.7k tonnes2003: 7.2k tonnes2004: 13.7k tonnes2005: 24.5k tonnes2006: 27.7k tonnes2007: 31.4k tonnes2008: 26.6k tonnes2009: 37.6k tonnes2010: 31.9k tonnes2011: 34.9k tonnes2012: 31.9k tonnes2013: 30.1k tonnes2014: 34.0k tonnes2015: 31.0k tonnes2016: 29.0k tonnes2017: 26.7k tonnes2018: 21.6k tonnes2019: 0 tonnes2020: 28.5k tonnes2021: 25.8k tonnes2022: 0 tonnes2023: 0 tonnes2024: 24.9k tonnes

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

Analysis

In 2024, plastic waste exports in Finland stood at 24,903 tonnes.

That represents a change of down 26.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, plastic waste exports in Finland peaked at 37,599 tonnes in 2009 and was at its lowest, 0 tonnes, in 2019.

Finland ranks 28th of 167 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 3,615 tonnes 3,390 tonnes 3,840 tonnes 2
1990s 1,818 tonnes 1,223 tonnes 2,613 tonnes 10
2000s 18,419 tonnes 4,208 tonnes 37,599 tonnes 10
2010s 27,118 tonnes 0 tonnes 34,881 tonnes 10
2020s 15,854 tonnes 0 tonnes 28,544 tonnes 5

Countries ranked near Finland

  1. 25 Australia 28,020 tonnes compare
  2. 26 New Zealand 27,275 tonnes compare
  3. 27 Saudi Arabia 25,779 tonnes compare
  4. 29 Israel 24,209 tonnes compare
  5. 30 Tanzania 22,310 tonnes compare
  6. 31 Iran 21,047 tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 167 places →

More environment data for Finland

All data for Finland →

Frequently asked questions

What is plastic waste exports in Finland?
Plastic waste exports in Finland was 24,903 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 Finland?
The highest recorded value was 37,599 tonnes in 2009.
What is the lowest plastic waste exports recorded in Finland?
The lowest recorded value was 0 tonnes in 2019.
How does Finland rank for plastic waste exports?
Finland ranks 28th out of 167 countries with data for 2024.
Is plastic waste exports rising or falling in Finland?
Over the last ten years it is down 26.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Finland 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 — 37 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.