Share of plastic waste exports in Ethiopia

Ethiopia: Share of plastic waste exports was 0.1% in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
0.1%
Change on year
down 59.8%
World rank
71st
of 162 countries
All-time high
0.2%
in 2022
All-time low
0.0%
in 2010
Years of data
15
2007–2023

Share of plastic waste exports in Ethiopia, 2007–2023

00.050.10.152007201520232007: 0.011 %2010: 0.001 %2011: 0.003 %2012: 0.003 %2013: 0.005 %2014: 0.022 %2015: 0.029 %2016: 0.023 %2017: 0.049 %2018: 0.055 %2019: 0.09 %2020: 0.101 %2021: 0.138 %2022: 0.173 %2023: 0.07 %

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 Ethiopia is 0.1%, measured in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 59.8% on the previous year and up 1,290.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of plastic waste exports in Ethiopia peaked at 0.2% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 2010.

Ethiopia ranks 71st of 162 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Share of plastic waste exports in Ethiopia, year by year

Annual values for Share of plastic waste exports in Ethiopia, 2007 to 2023.
Year % Change
2007 0.0%
2010 0.0% -88.9%
2011 0.0% +147.7%
2012 0.0% +10.3%
2013 0.0% +54.2%
2014 0.0% +335.2%
2015 0.0% +33.8%
2016 0.0% -21.7%
2017 0.0% +116.4%
2018 0.1% +10.5%
2019 0.1% +65.4%
2020 0.1% +11.5%
2021 0.1% +37.3%
2022 0.2% +25.3%
2023 0.1% -59.8%

Ethiopia compared with similar countries

  • Ethiopia's 0.1% is above the median for low income countries, which is 0.0%, 4.2× the median. (14 countries reporting)
  • Ethiopia's 0.1% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.0%, 2.2× the median. (33 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Share of plastic waste exports in Ethiopia 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.

YearChange FromTo
2014 +335.2% 0.0% 0.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
2010s 0.0% 0.0% 0.1% 10
2020s 0.1% 0.1% 0.2% 4

Countries ranked near Ethiopia

  1. 68 Andorra 0.1% compare
  2. 69 Mauritius 0.1% compare
  3. 70 Laos 0.1% compare
  4. 72 Zimbabwe 0.1% compare
  5. 73 Burkina Faso 0.1% compare
  6. 74 Libya 0.1% compare

See the full ranking of 162 places →

More environment data for Ethiopia

All data for Ethiopia →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of plastic waste exports in Ethiopia?
Share of plastic waste exports in Ethiopia was 0.1% in 2023, 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 Ethiopia?
The highest recorded value was 0.2% in 2022.
What is the lowest share of plastic waste exports recorded in Ethiopia?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 2010.
How does Ethiopia rank for share of plastic waste exports?
Ethiopia ranks 71st out of 162 countries with data for 2023.
Is share of plastic waste exports rising or falling in Ethiopia?
Over the last ten years it is up 1,290.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Ethiopia 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.

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Share of plastic waste exports in Ethiopia. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Comtrade Database (2025); United Nations Comtrade Database (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/share-plastic-waste-exports/ethiopia/

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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

Percentage of global plastic waste exports that a country accounts for.