Plastic waste exports in United Arab Emirates

United Arab Emirates: Plastic waste exports was 0 tonnes in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
0 tonnes
Change on year
down 100.0%
World rank
144th
of 167 countries
All-time high
38,278 tonnes
in 2007
All-time low
0 tonnes
in 1999
Years of data
16
1999–2023

Plastic waste exports in United Arab Emirates, 1999–2023

010.0k20.0k30.0k40.0k1999201120231999: 0 tonnes2005: 25.8k tonnes2007: 38.3k tonnes2008: 32.1k tonnes2012: 27.6k tonnes2013: 28.8k tonnes2014: 32.8k tonnes2015: 29.0k tonnes2016: 28.4k tonnes2017: 18.4k tonnes2018: 13.1k tonnes2019: 13.5k tonnes2020: 3.8k tonnes2021: 370.7 tonnes2022: 5.3k tonnes2023: 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

In 2023, plastic waste exports in United Arab Emirates stood at 0 tonnes. That is the lowest value across all 16 years on record.

That represents a change of down 100.0% on the previous year and down 100.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, plastic waste exports in United Arab Emirates peaked at 38,278 tonnes in 2007 and was at its lowest, 0 tonnes, in 1999.

United Arab Emirates 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0 tonnes 0 tonnes 0 tonnes 1
2000s 32,066 tonnes 25,784 tonnes 38,278 tonnes 3
2010s 23,931 tonnes 13,067 tonnes 32,756 tonnes 8
2020s 2,373 tonnes 0 tonnes 5,348 tonnes 4

Countries ranked near United Arab Emirates

  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 France 0 tonnes compare
  9. 144 Germany 0 tonnes compare
  10. 144 Ghana 0 tonnes compare
  11. 144 Hungary 0 tonnes compare
  12. 144 Italy 0 tonnes compare
  13. 144 Jordan 0 tonnes compare
  14. 144 Kazakhstan 0 tonnes compare
  15. 144 Lebanon 0 tonnes compare
  16. 144 Malaysia 0 tonnes compare
  17. 144 Mexico 0 tonnes compare
  18. 144 Oman 0 tonnes compare
  19. 144 Qatar 0 tonnes compare
  20. 144 Romania 0 tonnes compare
  21. 144 Singapore 0 tonnes compare
  22. 144 South Korea 0 tonnes compare
  23. 144 Spain 0 tonnes compare
  24. 144 Thailand 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 United Arab Emirates

All data for United Arab Emirates →

Frequently asked questions

What is plastic waste exports in United Arab Emirates?
Plastic waste exports in United Arab Emirates 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 United Arab Emirates?
The highest recorded value was 38,278 tonnes in 2007.
What is the lowest plastic waste exports recorded in United Arab Emirates?
The lowest recorded value was 0 tonnes in 1999.
How does United Arab Emirates rank for plastic waste exports?
United Arab Emirates ranks 144th out of 167 countries with data for 2023.
Is plastic waste exports rising or falling in United Arab Emirates?
Over the last ten years it is down 100.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this United Arab Emirates 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 — 16 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.