Share of plastic waste exports by country

The percentage of global plastic waste exports that a country accounts for.

Countries reporting
159
Highest
21.3%
Japan
Lowest
0.0%
United States
Median
0.0%
Years covered
37
1988–2024
Data points
2,674

What the numbers show

Share of plastic waste exports is currently reported for 159 countries. The highest value is 21.3% in Japan; the lowest is 0.0% in United States.

The median across all reporting countries is 0.0%, and the mean is 0.7%.

Over the past decade 112 countries rose and 41 fell. The largest increase was in Antigua and Barbuda (up 1,374,840.0%), and the largest decrease in United Arab Emirates (down 100.0%).

Share of plastic waste exports: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 Japan 21.3% 2024 up 77.6% rising
2 Netherlands 17.4% 2024 volatile
3 Belgium 11.3% 2024 up 390.3% volatile
4 Poland 4.3% 2024 up 332.8% volatile
5 Sweden 3.8% 2024 up 433.1% volatile
6 Slovenia 3.6% 2024 up 415.6% volatile
7 Czechia 3.6% 2024 up 314.4% volatile
8 Philippines 3.2% 2024 up 223.2% volatile
9 Denmark 2.7% 2024 up 360.2% volatile
10 Switzerland 2.7% 2024 up 258.5% volatile
12 Norway 2.1% 2024 up 398.9% volatile
13 Greece 2.0% 2024 up 689.1% volatile
14 China 2.0% 2024 up 543.2% volatile
15 Portugal 1.7% 2024 up 266.9% volatile
16 Croatia 1.6% 2024 up 1,648.2% volatile
17 South Africa 1.4% 2024 up 519.8% volatile
18 Slovakia 1.3% 2024 up 328.6% volatile
19 Vietnam 1.1% 2023 down 39.0% volatile
20 Dominican Republic 1.0% 2024 up 358.8% volatile
21 Indonesia 0.9% 2023 down 49.0% volatile
22 Tunisia 0.9% 2023 up 287.9% volatile
23 Australia 0.9% 2024 down 34.5% volatile
24 New Zealand 0.8% 2024 up 145.6% rising
25 Saudi Arabia 0.8% 2024 up 61.9% volatile
26 Finland 0.8% 2024 up 217.7% volatile
27 Israel 0.8% 2024 up 957.2% volatile
28 Russia 0.7% 2021 up 955.9% volatile
29 Latvia 0.6% 2024 up 575.9% volatile
30 Estonia 0.5% 2024 up 308.2% volatile
31 Lithuania 0.5% 2024 up 192.5% volatile
32 Tanzania 0.5% 2023 up 285.9% volatile
33 Bulgaria 0.5% 2024 up 567.0% volatile
34 Pakistan 0.5% 2024 up 60.9% volatile
35 Honduras 0.4% 2023 up 442.3% volatile
36 Jamaica 0.4% 2023 up 6,236.1% volatile
37 Turkey 0.3% 2024 up 129.3% volatile
38 Belarus 0.3% 2021 up 1,139.0% volatile
39 Cyprus 0.3% 2024 up 459.3% volatile
41 Iran 0.3% 2018 up 256.1% volatile
42 Uganda 0.3% 2023 up 709.9% volatile
43 Bangladesh 0.3% 2015 up 125.8% rising
44 Brazil 0.3% 2024 up 564.9% volatile
45 El Salvador 0.3% 2024 up 204.8% volatile
46 Nigeria 0.3% 2024 up 4,119.9% volatile
47 Iceland 0.2% 2024 up 657.6% volatile
48 Guatemala 0.2% 2024 up 110.4% volatile
49 Chile 0.2% 2024 up 93.1% volatile
50 Nicaragua 0.2% 2023 up 132.3% volatile
51 Myanmar 0.2% 2024 up 21,001.9% volatile
52 Hong Kong 0.2% 2024 down 99.1% volatile
53 Sudan 0.2% 2018 up 958.2% volatile
54 North Macedonia 0.2% 2024 up 253.7% volatile
55 Mauritania 0.2% 2023 up 7,066.8% volatile
56 Tajikistan 0.1% 2023 up 1,174.0% volatile
57 Costa Rica 0.1% 2023 up 86.1% volatile
58 Panama 0.1% 2024 up 215.3% volatile
60 Kenya 0.1% 2023 up 120.8% volatile
61 Ecuador 0.1% 2024 down 51.0% volatile
62 Morocco 0.1% 2023 down 5.9% volatile
63 Namibia 0.1% 2024 up 821.1% volatile
64 Kuwait 0.1% 2023 up 1.5% rising
65 Colombia 0.1% 2023 up 266.5% volatile
66 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.1% 2024 up 24.0% volatile
67 India 0.1% 2024 up 29.7% volatile
68 Andorra 0.1% 2023 up 1,188.7% volatile
69 Mauritius 0.1% 2024 up 582.6% volatile
70 Laos 0.1% 2023 up 2,217.9% volatile
71 Ethiopia 0.1% 2023 up 1,290.8% volatile
72 Zimbabwe 0.1% 2024 up 1,455.9% volatile
73 Burkina Faso 0.1% 2024 up 9,457.9% volatile
74 Libya 0.1% 2019 up 63,788.5% volatile
75 Serbia 0.1% 2024 down 49.7% volatile
76 Mali 0.0% 2019 up 2,830.0% volatile
77 Venezuela 0.0% 2013 up 20.1% volatile
78 Bolivia 0.0% 2024 up 19.0% volatile
79 Mozambique 0.0% 2023 up 3,392.3% volatile
80 Albania 0.0% 2016 up 5,513.7% volatile
81 Barbados 0.0% 2024 up 370.7% volatile
82 Togo 0.0% 2024 up 6,662.2% volatile
83 Zambia 0.0% 2023 up 1,772.4% volatile
84 Cote d'Ivoire 0.0% 2023 up 108.8% volatile
85 Argentina 0.0% 2017 down 93.2% volatile
86 Trinidad and Tobago 0.0% 2024 up 226.5% volatile
87 Ukraine 0.0% 2024 up 80.2% volatile
88 Sri Lanka 0.0% 2024 up 168.8% volatile
89 Cambodia 0.0% 2023 down 52.7% volatile
90 Paraguay 0.0% 2024 up 5,064.2% volatile
91 Maldives 0.0% 2024 up 724.6% volatile
92 Peru 0.0% 2024 up 190.9% volatile
93 Rwanda 0.0% 2022 up 9,802.8% volatile
94 Georgia 0.0% 2024 up 121.3% volatile
95 Kyrgyzstan 0.0% 2024 down 2.8% volatile
96 Mongolia 0.0% 2019 down 54.1% volatile
97 Uruguay 0.0% 2023 up 4.4% volatile
98 Eswatini 0.0% 2023 up 162.3% volatile
99 Uzbekistan 0.0% 2024 up 1,165.2% volatile
100 Montenegro 0.0% 2024 up 232.9% volatile
101 Senegal 0.0% 2023 up 348.7% volatile
102 Algeria 0.0% 2017 up 553.8% volatile
103 Belize 0.0% 2024 down 8.3% volatile
104 Botswana 0.0% 2023 up 516.6% volatile
105 Suriname 0.0% 2024 up 238.2% volatile
106 Yemen 0.0% 2018 down 82.0% volatile
107 Burundi 0.0% 2022 up 8,975.2% volatile
108 Iraq 0.0% 2016 volatile
109 Armenia 0.0% 2024 up 908.1% volatile
110 French Polynesia 0.0% 2022 up 301.6% volatile
111 Bhutan 0.0% 2012 up 77.8% rising
112 Congo 0.0% 2021 up 103,607.0% volatile
113 Macao 0.0% 2024 down 36.8% volatile
114 Egypt 0.0% 2024 up 33.7% volatile
115 Cameroon 0.0% 2023 up 962.7% volatile
116 Azerbaijan 0.0% 2024 up 77.5% volatile
117 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0.0% 2023 up 856.7% volatile
118 Central African Republic 0.0% 2019 up 297.3% volatile
119 Bahamas 0.0% 2019 up 362,410.0% volatile
120 Greenland 0.0% 2018 up 471.2% volatile
121 Palau 0.0% 2018 up 1,515.9% volatile
122 Moldova 0.0% 2024 up 50.3% volatile
123 Guyana 0.0% 2024 up 78.2% volatile
124 Benin 0.0% 2023 down 73.7% volatile
125 Lesotho 0.0% 2021 up 566.7% volatile
126 Malawi 0.0% 2021 up 59.8% volatile
127 Democratic Republic of Congo 0.0% 2023 up 464.2% volatile
128 Grenada 0.0% 2021 up 23,207.3% volatile
129 Saint Lucia 0.0% 2020 down 43.6% volatile
130 New Caledonia 0.0% 2015 up 536.4% volatile
131 Madagascar 0.0% 2023 down 56.5% volatile
132 Antigua and Barbuda 0.0% 2018 up 1,374,840.0% volatile
133 Samoa 0.0% 2023 up 244.0% volatile
134 Niger 0.0% 2023 up 26.7% volatile
135 Nepal 0.0% 2022 down 15.9% volatile
136 Brunei 0.0% 2023 down 93.6% volatile
137 Angola 0.0% 2023 volatile
138 East Timor 0.0% 2023 volatile
139 United Arab Emirates 0.0% 2023 down 100.0% volatile
139 Austria 0.0% 2024 down 100.0% volatile
139 Bahrain 0.0% 2023 down 100.0% volatile
139 Canada 0.0% 2024 down 100.0% volatile
139 Germany 0.0% 2024 down 100.0% volatile
139 Spain 0.0% 2024 down 100.0% volatile
139 Fiji 0.0% 2024 down 100.0% volatile
139 France 0.0% 2024 down 100.0% flat
139 United Kingdom 0.0% 2024 down 100.0% volatile
139 Ghana 0.0% 2023 down 100.0% volatile
139 Hungary 0.0% 2024 down 100.0% volatile
139 Italy 0.0% 2024 down 100.0% volatile
139 Jordan 0.0% 2023 down 100.0% volatile
139 Kazakhstan 0.0% 2023 down 100.0% volatile
139 South Korea 0.0% 2024 down 100.0% volatile
139 Lebanon 0.0% 2023 down 100.0% volatile
139 Mexico 0.0% 2024 volatile
139 Malaysia 0.0% 2024 down 100.0% volatile
139 Oman 0.0% 2023 down 100.0% volatile
139 Qatar 0.0% 2023 volatile
139 Romania 0.0% 2024 down 100.0% volatile
139 Singapore 0.0% 2023 down 100.0% volatile
139 Thailand 0.0% 2024 down 100.0% volatile
139 United States 0.0% 2024 down 100.0% volatile

About this data

Indicator
Share of plastic waste exports
Unit
%
Source
United Nations Comtrade Database (2025); United Nations Comtrade Database (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
162 places, 2,674 data points, 1988–2024
Last refreshed

The percentage of global plastic waste exports that a country accounts for.