Share of plastic waste exports in Portugal

Portugal: Share of plastic waste exports was 1.7% in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
1.7%
Change on year
up 27.4%
World rank
15th
of 162 countries
All-time high
1.7%
in 2024
All-time low
0.2%
in 1994
Years of data
23
1988–2024

Share of plastic waste exports in Portugal, 1988–2024

00.511.51988200620241988: 1.1 %1989: 1 %1994: 0.154 %1995: 0.219 %1996: 0.203 %2001: 0.163 %2005: 0.16 %2007: 0.212 %2010: 0.412 %2011: 0.409 %2012: 0.429 %2013: 0.47 %2014: 0.451 %2015: 0.439 %2016: 0.639 %2017: 0.531 %2018: 0.691 %2019: 0.907 %2020: 1.1 %2021: 1.3 %2022: 1.6 %2023: 1.3 %2024: 1.7 %

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 Portugal is 1.7%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 27.4% on the previous year and up 266.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of plastic waste exports in Portugal peaked at 1.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 1994.

Portugal ranks 15th 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
1980s 1.1% 1.0% 1.1% 2
1990s 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 3
2000s 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 3
2010s 0.5% 0.4% 0.9% 10
2020s 1.4% 1.1% 1.7% 5

Countries ranked near Portugal

  1. 12 Norway 2.1% compare
  2. 13 Greece 2.0% compare
  3. 14 China 2.0% compare
  4. 16 Croatia 1.6% compare
  5. 17 South Africa 1.4% compare
  6. 18 Slovakia 1.3% compare

See the full ranking of 162 places →

More environment data for Portugal

All data for Portugal →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of plastic waste exports in Portugal?
Share of plastic waste exports in Portugal was 1.7% 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 Portugal?
The highest recorded value was 1.7% in 2024.
What is the lowest share of plastic waste exports recorded in Portugal?
The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 1994.
How does Portugal rank for share of plastic waste exports?
Portugal ranks 15th out of 162 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of plastic waste exports rising or falling in Portugal?
Over the last ten years it is up 266.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Portugal 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.