Share of plastic waste exports in Belgium

Belgium: Share of plastic waste exports was 11.3% in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
11.3%
World rank
3rd
of 162 countries
All-time high
11.3%
in 2024
All-time low
0.0%
in 2023
Years of data
18
2001–2024

Share of plastic waste exports in Belgium, 2001–2024

02.557.51012.52001201220242001: 4.2 %2005: 3.6 %2007: 3.3 %2010: 1.7 %2011: 2.8 %2012: 2.2 %2013: 2.8 %2014: 2.3 %2015: 2 %2016: 2.5 %2017: 3.2 %2018: 5 %2019: 5.9 %2020: 6.6 %2021: 6.8 %2022: 9.3 %2023: 0 %2024: 11.3 %

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

Analysis

In 2024, share of plastic waste exports in Belgium stood at 11.3%. That is the highest value across all 18 years on record.

That represents a change of up 390.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of plastic waste exports in Belgium peaked at 11.3% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 2023.

Belgium ranks 3rd of 162 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 3.7% 3.3% 4.2% 3
2010s 3.0% 1.7% 5.9% 10
2020s 6.8% 0.0% 11.3% 5

Countries ranked near Belgium

  1. 1 Japan 21.3% compare
  2. 2 Netherlands 17.4% compare
  3. 4 Poland 4.3% compare
  4. 5 Sweden 3.8% compare
  5. 6 Slovenia 3.6% compare

See the full ranking of 162 places →

More environment data for Belgium

All data for Belgium →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of plastic waste exports in Belgium?
Share of plastic waste exports in Belgium was 11.3% in 2024, according to United Nations Comtrade Database (2025); United Nations Comtrade Database (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of plastic waste exports recorded in Belgium?
The highest recorded value was 11.3% in 2024.
What is the lowest share of plastic waste exports recorded in Belgium?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 2023.
How does Belgium rank for share of plastic waste exports?
Belgium ranks 3rd out of 162 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of plastic waste exports rising or falling in Belgium?
Over the last ten years it is up 390.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Belgium data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Comtrade Database (2025); United Nations Comtrade Database (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of plastic waste exports. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

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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.