Plastic waste exports in Singapore
Singapore: Plastic waste exports was 0 tonnes in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Plastic waste exports in Singapore, 1989–2023
Source: United Nations Comtrade Database (2025); United Nations Comtrade Database (2023) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Singapore recorded 0 tonnes for plastic waste exports in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 100.0% on the previous year and down 100.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, plastic waste exports in Singapore peaked at 92,208 tonnes in 2013 and was at its lowest, 0 tonnes, in 2019.
That places Singapore 144th out of 167 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Plastic waste exports in Singapore, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 10,916 tonnes | — |
| 1990 | 8,287 tonnes | -24.1% |
| 1991 | 28,150 tonnes | +239.7% |
| 1992 | 37,840 tonnes | +34.4% |
| 1993 | 45,617 tonnes | +20.6% |
| 1994 | 33,526 tonnes | -26.5% |
| 1995 | 21,714 tonnes | -35.2% |
| 1996 | 20,941 tonnes | -3.6% |
| 1997 | 33,409 tonnes | +59.5% |
| 1998 | 19,537 tonnes | -41.5% |
| 1999 | 19,056 tonnes | -2.5% |
| 2000 | 22,060 tonnes | +15.8% |
| 2001 | 27,544 tonnes | +24.9% |
| 2002 | 34,398 tonnes | +24.9% |
| 2003 | 37,555 tonnes | +9.2% |
| 2004 | 41,311 tonnes | +10.0% |
| 2005 | 40,225 tonnes | -2.6% |
| 2006 | 42,853 tonnes | +6.5% |
| 2007 | 55,997 tonnes | +30.7% |
| 2008 | 55,553 tonnes | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 51,596 tonnes | -7.1% |
| 2010 | 55,389 tonnes | +7.3% |
| 2011 | 62,446 tonnes | +12.7% |
| 2012 | 69,544 tonnes | +11.4% |
| 2013 | 92,208 tonnes | +32.6% |
| 2014 | 81,066 tonnes | -12.1% |
| 2015 | 62,286 tonnes | -23.2% |
| 2016 | 61,274 tonnes | -1.6% |
| 2017 | 56,385 tonnes | -8.0% |
| 2018 | 44,126 tonnes | -21.7% |
| 2019 | 0 tonnes | -100.0% |
| 2020 | 34,704 tonnes | — |
| 2021 | 32,434 tonnes | -6.5% |
| 2022 | 34,710 tonnes | +7.0% |
| 2023 | 0 tonnes | -100.0% |
Singapore compared with similar countries
- Singapore's 0 tonnes is below the median for high income countries, which is 4,588 tonnes. (64 countries reporting)
- Singapore's 0 tonnes is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 277.15 tonnes. (26 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Plastic waste exports in Singapore changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | +239.7% | 8,287 tonnes | 28,150 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 10,916 tonnes | 10,916 tonnes | 10,916 tonnes | 1 |
| 1990s | 26,808 tonnes | 8,287 tonnes | 45,617 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 40,909 tonnes | 22,060 tonnes | 55,997 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 58,472 tonnes | 0 tonnes | 92,208 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 25,462 tonnes | 0 tonnes | 34,710 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Singapore
- 141 Angola 2.03 tonnes compare
- 142 East Timor 1 tonnes compare
- 143 Papua New Guinea 0.828 tonnes compare
- 144 Austria 0 tonnes compare
- 144 Bahrain 0 tonnes compare
- 144 Canada 0 tonnes compare
- 144 Fiji 0 tonnes compare
- 144 France 0 tonnes compare
- 144 Germany 0 tonnes compare
- 144 Ghana 0 tonnes compare
- 144 Hungary 0 tonnes compare
- 144 Italy 0 tonnes compare
- 144 Jordan 0 tonnes compare
- 144 Kazakhstan 0 tonnes compare
- 144 Lebanon 0 tonnes compare
- 144 Malaysia 0 tonnes compare
- 144 Mexico 0 tonnes compare
- 144 Oman 0 tonnes compare
- 144 Qatar 0 tonnes compare
- 144 Romania 0 tonnes compare
- 144 South Korea 0 tonnes compare
- 144 Spain 0 tonnes compare
- 144 Thailand 0 tonnes compare
- 144 United Arab Emirates 0 tonnes compare
- 144 United Kingdom 0 tonnes compare
- 144 United States 0 tonnes compare
More environment data for Singapore
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -1.71 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -0.9965 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 42.94 % change on previous year (1990)
- Standard Deviation 0.253 °C (1990)
- Temperature change 0.647 °C (1990)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 5.11 % 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 -5.19 % 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 Singapore?
- Plastic waste exports in Singapore was 0 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 Singapore?
- The highest recorded value was 92,208 tonnes in 2013.
- What is the lowest plastic waste exports recorded in Singapore?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 tonnes in 2019.
- How does Singapore rank for plastic waste exports?
- Singapore ranks 144th out of 167 countries with data for 2023.
- Is plastic waste exports rising or falling in Singapore?
- Over the last ten years it is down 100.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Singapore 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 — 35 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.