Share of plastic waste exports in Denmark

Denmark: Share of plastic waste exports was 2.7% in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
2.7%
Change on year
up 74.4%
World rank
9th
of 162 countries
All-time high
3.9%
in 1989
All-time low
0.0%
in 2020
Years of data
22
1989–2024

Share of plastic waste exports in Denmark, 1989–2024

012341989200620241989: 3.9 %1994: 0.339 %1995: 0.241 %1996: 0.364 %2001: 0.376 %2005: 0.47 %2007: 0.391 %2010: 3.2 %2011: 0.546 %2012: 0.573 %2013: 0.545 %2014: 0.59 %2015: 0.541 %2016: 0.523 %2017: 0.558 %2018: 0.789 %2019: 1.1 %2020: 0 %2021: 0 %2022: 2 %2023: 1.6 %2024: 2.7 %

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of plastic waste exports in Denmark is 2.7%, measured in 2024.

That represents a change of up 74.4% on the previous year and up 360.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of plastic waste exports in Denmark peaked at 3.9% in 1989 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 2020.

That places Denmark 9th out of 162 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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
1980s 3.9% 3.9% 3.9% 1
1990s 0.3% 0.2% 0.4% 3
2000s 0.4% 0.4% 0.5% 3
2010s 0.9% 0.5% 3.2% 10
2020s 1.3% 0.0% 2.7% 5

Countries ranked near Denmark

  1. 6 Slovenia 3.6% compare
  2. 7 Czechia 3.6% compare
  3. 8 Philippines 3.2% compare
  4. 10 Switzerland 2.7% compare
  5. 12 Norway 2.1% compare

See the full ranking of 162 places →

More environment data for Denmark

All data for Denmark →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of plastic waste exports in Denmark?
Share of plastic waste exports in Denmark was 2.7% 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 Denmark?
The highest recorded value was 3.9% in 1989.
What is the lowest share of plastic waste exports recorded in Denmark?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 2020.
How does Denmark rank for share of plastic waste exports?
Denmark ranks 9th out of 162 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of plastic waste exports rising or falling in Denmark?
Over the last ten years it is up 360.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Denmark 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

CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

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.