Plastic waste exports in France

France: Plastic waste exports was 0 tonnes in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
0 tonnes
World rank
144th
of 167 countries
All-time high
508,034 tonnes
in 2012
All-time low
0 tonnes
in 2023
Years of data
31
1994–2024

Plastic waste exports in France, 1994–2024

0200.0k400.0k600.0k1994200920241994: 96.6k tonnes1995: 104.2k tonnes1996: 115.9k tonnes1997: 127.6k tonnes1998: 129.8k tonnes1999: 147.3k tonnes2000: 192.1k tonnes2001: 248.4k tonnes2002: 309.8k tonnes2003: 323.1k tonnes2004: 364.5k tonnes2005: 408.8k tonnes2006: 379.2k tonnes2007: 385.6k tonnes2008: 390.6k tonnes2009: 447.7k tonnes2010: 478.0k tonnes2011: 502.8k tonnes2012: 508.0k tonnes2013: 454.1k tonnes2014: 483.0k tonnes2015: 468.8k tonnes2016: 484.0k tonnes2017: 457.7k tonnes2018: 442.5k tonnes2019: 385.7k tonnes2020: 333.7k tonnes2021: 341.6k tonnes2022: 344.4k tonnes2023: 0 tonnes2024: 0 tonnes

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

Analysis

France recorded 0 tonnes for plastic waste exports in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 31 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 100.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, plastic waste exports in France peaked at 508,034 tonnes in 2012 and was at its lowest, 0 tonnes, in 2023.

That places France 144th out of 167 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 120,225 tonnes 96,553 tonnes 147,308 tonnes 6
2000s 344,968 tonnes 192,075 tonnes 447,683 tonnes 10
2010s 466,449 tonnes 385,675 tonnes 508,034 tonnes 10
2020s 203,946 tonnes 0 tonnes 344,367 tonnes 5

Countries ranked near France

  1. 141 Angola 2.03 tonnes compare
  2. 142 East Timor 1 tonnes compare
  3. 143 Papua New Guinea 0.828 tonnes compare
  4. 144 Austria 0 tonnes compare
  5. 144 Bahrain 0 tonnes compare
  6. 144 Canada 0 tonnes compare
  7. 144 Fiji 0 tonnes compare
  8. 144 Germany 0 tonnes compare
  9. 144 Ghana 0 tonnes compare
  10. 144 Hungary 0 tonnes compare
  11. 144 Italy 0 tonnes compare
  12. 144 Jordan 0 tonnes compare
  13. 144 Kazakhstan 0 tonnes compare
  14. 144 Lebanon 0 tonnes compare
  15. 144 Malaysia 0 tonnes compare
  16. 144 Mexico 0 tonnes compare
  17. 144 Oman 0 tonnes compare
  18. 144 Qatar 0 tonnes compare
  19. 144 Romania 0 tonnes compare
  20. 144 Singapore 0 tonnes compare
  21. 144 South Korea 0 tonnes compare
  22. 144 Spain 0 tonnes compare
  23. 144 Thailand 0 tonnes compare
  24. 144 United Arab Emirates 0 tonnes compare
  25. 144 United Kingdom 0 tonnes compare
  26. 144 United States 0 tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 167 places →

More environment data for France

All data for France →

Frequently asked questions

What is plastic waste exports in France?
Plastic waste exports in France was 0 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 France?
The highest recorded value was 508,034 tonnes in 2012.
What is the lowest plastic waste exports recorded in France?
The lowest recorded value was 0 tonnes in 2023.
How does France rank for plastic waste exports?
France ranks 144th out of 167 countries with data for 2024.
Is plastic waste exports rising or falling in France?
Over the last ten years it is down 100.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this France 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 — 31 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.