Share of plastic waste exports in Switzerland

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

Latest (2024)
2.7%
Change on year
up 40.2%
World rank
10th
of 162 countries
All-time high
6.7%
in 1988
All-time low
0.0%
in 2005
Years of data
23
1988–2024

Share of plastic waste exports in Switzerland, 1988–2024

02461988200620241988: 6.7 %1989: 6 %1994: 1.2 %1995: 1.1 %1996: 1.1 %2001: 1.1 %2005: 0 %2007: 0 %2010: 0.618 %2011: 0.704 %2012: 0.751 %2013: 0.973 %2014: 0.755 %2015: 0 %2016: 0.875 %2017: 0.911 %2018: 0 %2019: 0 %2020: 0 %2021: 0 %2022: 2.1 %2023: 1.9 %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

Switzerland recorded 2.7% for share of plastic waste exports in 2024.

That represents a change of up 40.2% on the previous year and up 258.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of plastic waste exports in Switzerland peaked at 6.7% in 1988 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 2005.

Switzerland ranks 10th 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 6.3% 6.0% 6.7% 2
1990s 1.1% 1.1% 1.2% 3
2000s 0.4% 0.0% 1.1% 3
2010s 0.6% 0.0% 1.0% 10
2020s 1.3% 0.0% 2.7% 5

Countries ranked near Switzerland

  1. 7 Czechia 3.6% compare
  2. 8 Philippines 3.2% compare
  3. 9 Denmark 2.7% compare
  4. 12 Norway 2.1% compare
  5. 13 Greece 2.0% compare

See the full ranking of 162 places →

More environment data for Switzerland

All data for Switzerland →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of plastic waste exports in Switzerland?
Share of plastic waste exports in Switzerland 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 Switzerland?
The highest recorded value was 6.7% in 1988.
What is the lowest share of plastic waste exports recorded in Switzerland?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 2005.
How does Switzerland rank for share of plastic waste exports?
Switzerland ranks 10th out of 162 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of plastic waste exports rising or falling in Switzerland?
Over the last ten years it is up 258.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Switzerland 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.