Share of global plastic waste imports in Denmark

Denmark: Share of global plastic waste imports was 2.0% in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
2.0%
Change on year
up 27.1%
World rank
17th
of 183 countries
All-time high
3.4%
in 1989
All-time low
0.1%
in 2009
Years of data
36
1989–2024

Share of global plastic waste imports in Denmark, 1989–2024

01231989200620241989: 3.4 %1990: 2.5 %1991: 1.7 %1992: 1 %1993: 0.341 %1994: 0.257 %1995: 0.435 %1996: 0.628 %1997: 0.643 %1998: 0.526 %1999: 0.529 %2000: 0.539 %2001: 0.428 %2002: 0.901 %2003: 0.611 %2004: 0.665 %2005: 0.55 %2006: 0.324 %2007: 0.184 %2008: 0.223 %2009: 0.148 %2010: 0.219 %2011: 0.412 %2012: 0.423 %2013: 0.223 %2014: 0.19 %2015: 0.224 %2016: 0.233 %2017: 0.281 %2018: 1.2 %2019: 1.7 %2020: 0.479 %2021: 0.781 %2022: 2 %2023: 1.6 %2024: 2 %

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 global plastic waste imports in Denmark stood at 2.0%.

That represents a change of up 27.1% on the previous year and up 964.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of global plastic waste imports in Denmark peaked at 3.4% in 1989 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 2009.

That places Denmark 17th out of 183 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 3.4% 3.4% 3.4% 1
1990s 0.9% 0.3% 2.5% 10
2000s 0.5% 0.1% 0.9% 10
2010s 0.5% 0.2% 1.7% 10
2020s 1.4% 0.5% 2.0% 5

Countries ranked near Denmark

  1. 14 France 2.9% compare
  2. 15 Slovenia 2.4% compare
  3. 16 Lithuania 2.2% compare
  4. 18 Portugal 1.5% compare
  5. 19 Romania 1.2% compare
  6. 20 India 1.2% compare

See the full ranking of 183 places →

More environment data for Denmark

All data for Denmark →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of global plastic waste imports in Denmark?
Share of global plastic waste imports in Denmark was 2.0% 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 global plastic waste imports recorded in Denmark?
The highest recorded value was 3.4% in 1989.
What is the lowest share of global plastic waste imports recorded in Denmark?
The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 2009.
How does Denmark rank for share of global plastic waste imports?
Denmark ranks 17th out of 183 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of global plastic waste imports rising or falling in Denmark?
Over the last ten years it is up 964.3%. 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 global plastic waste imports. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

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About this data

Indicator
Share of global plastic waste imports
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
183 places, 4,496 data points, 1988–2024
Last refreshed

The percentage of global plastic waste imports that a country accounts for.