Plastic waste exports in Thailand
Thailand: Plastic waste exports was 0 tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Plastic waste exports in Thailand, 1989–2024
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 Thailand is 0 tonnes, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 100.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, plastic waste exports in Thailand peaked at 346,939 tonnes in 2014 and was at its lowest, 0 tonnes, in 2016.
Thailand ranks 144th of 167 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Plastic waste exports in Thailand, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 790.49 tonnes | — |
| 1990 | 1,389 tonnes | +75.7% |
| 1991 | 1,185 tonnes | -14.7% |
| 1992 | 824.05 tonnes | -30.5% |
| 1993 | 3,594 tonnes | +336.2% |
| 1994 | 3,337 tonnes | -7.2% |
| 1995 | 4,512 tonnes | +35.2% |
| 1996 | 5,078 tonnes | +12.5% |
| 1997 | 5,469 tonnes | +7.7% |
| 1998 | 9,144 tonnes | +67.2% |
| 1999 | 13,536 tonnes | +48.0% |
| 2000 | 29,101 tonnes | +115.0% |
| 2001 | 29,153 tonnes | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 39,796 tonnes | +36.5% |
| 2003 | 59,885 tonnes | +50.5% |
| 2004 | 102,253 tonnes | +70.7% |
| 2005 | 130,445 tonnes | +27.6% |
| 2006 | 139,397 tonnes | +6.9% |
| 2007 | 183,287 tonnes | +31.5% |
| 2008 | 145,309 tonnes | -20.7% |
| 2009 | 166,370 tonnes | +14.5% |
| 2010 | 205,915 tonnes | +23.8% |
| 2011 | 232,170 tonnes | +12.8% |
| 2012 | 263,128 tonnes | +13.3% |
| 2013 | 317,540 tonnes | +20.7% |
| 2014 | 346,939 tonnes | +9.3% |
| 2015 | 265,551 tonnes | -23.5% |
| 2016 | 0 tonnes | -100.0% |
| 2017 | 296,839 tonnes | — |
| 2018 | 190,620 tonnes | -35.8% |
| 2019 | 228,235 tonnes | +19.7% |
| 2020 | 85,386 tonnes | -62.6% |
| 2021 | 70,297 tonnes | -17.7% |
| 2023 | 0 tonnes | -100.0% |
| 2024 | 0 tonnes | — |
Thailand compared with similar countries
- Thailand's 0 tonnes is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1,066 tonnes. (49 countries reporting)
- Thailand'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 Thailand 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | +336.2% | 824.05 tonnes | 3,594 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 790.49 tonnes | 790.49 tonnes | 790.49 tonnes | 1 |
| 1990s | 4,807 tonnes | 824.05 tonnes | 13,536 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 102,500 tonnes | 29,101 tonnes | 183,287 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 234,694 tonnes | 0 tonnes | 346,939 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 38,921 tonnes | 0 tonnes | 85,386 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Thailand
- 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 Singapore 0 tonnes compare
- 144 South Korea 0 tonnes compare
- 144 Spain 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 Thailand
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 1.44 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 1.54 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.306 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.01 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.85 % 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 0.1009 % 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 Thailand?
- Plastic waste exports in Thailand 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 Thailand?
- The highest recorded value was 346,939 tonnes in 2014.
- What is the lowest plastic waste exports recorded in Thailand?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 tonnes in 2016.
- How does Thailand rank for plastic waste exports?
- Thailand ranks 144th out of 167 countries with data for 2024.
- Is plastic waste exports rising or falling in Thailand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 100.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Thailand 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.