Share of global plastic waste imports in Finland

Finland: Share of global plastic waste imports was 0.2% in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
0.2%
World rank
41st
of 183 countries
All-time high
1.5%
in 1988
All-time low
0.0%
in 2019
Years of data
37
1988–2024

Share of global plastic waste imports in Finland, 1988–2024

00.511.51988200620241988: 1.5 %1989: 1 %1990: 0.969 %1991: 0.571 %1992: 0.136 %1993: 0.051 %1994: 0.035 %1995: 0.035 %1996: 0.032 %1997: 0.029 %1998: 0.021 %1999: 0.013 %2000: 0.029 %2001: 0.008 %2002: 0.009 %2003: 0.013 %2004: 0.011 %2005: 0.01 %2006: 0.01 %2007: 0.023 %2008: 0.009 %2009: 0.019 %2010: 0.019 %2011: 0.009 %2012: 0.011 %2013: 0.01 %2014: 0.009 %2015: 0.009 %2016: 0.017 %2017: 0.024 %2018: 0.053 %2019: 0 %2020: 0.168 %2021: 0 %2022: 0 %2023: 0 %2024: 0.164 %

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 Finland stood at 0.2%.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1,787.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of global plastic waste imports in Finland peaked at 1.5% in 1988 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 2019.

Finland ranks 41st of 183 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

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

Share of global plastic waste imports in Finland, year by year

Annual values for Share of global plastic waste imports in Finland, 1988 to 2024.
Year % Change
1988 1.5%
1989 1.0% -28.7%
1990 1.0% -7.7%
1991 0.6% -41.0%
1992 0.1% -76.1%
1993 0.1% -62.6%
1994 0.0% -32.0%
1995 0.0% -0.1%
1996 0.0% -8.5%
1997 0.0% -8.5%
1998 0.0% -27.2%
1999 0.0% -38.1%
2000 0.0% +118.6%
2001 0.0% -73.4%
2002 0.0% +20.4%
2003 0.0% +39.1%
2004 0.0% -12.8%
2005 0.0% -6.1%
2006 0.0% -1.3%
2007 0.0% +120.2%
2008 0.0% -58.5%
2009 0.0% +100.5%
2010 0.0% -0.5%
2011 0.0% -49.9%
2012 0.0% +14.8%
2013 0.0% -7.5%
2014 0.0% -12.8%
2015 0.0% +0.7%
2016 0.0% +90.2%
2017 0.0% +43.2%
2018 0.1% +122.6%
2019 0.0% -100.0%
2020 0.2%
2021 0.0% -100.0%
2022 0.0%
2023 0.0%
2024 0.2%

Finland compared with similar countries

  • Finland's 0.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.0%, 8.8× the median. (68 countries reporting)
  • Finland's 0.2% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.1%, 1.3× the median. (50 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 1.3% 1.0% 1.5% 2
1990s 0.2% 0.0% 1.0% 10
2000s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 10
2010s 0.0% 0.0% 0.1% 10
2020s 0.1% 0.0% 0.2% 5

Countries ranked near Finland

  1. 38 Luxembourg 0.2% compare
  2. 39 Cyprus 0.2% compare
  3. 40 South Africa 0.2% compare
  4. 42 Japan 0.2% compare
  5. 43 Estonia 0.2% compare
  6. 44 Paraguay 0.2% compare

See the full ranking of 183 places →

More environment data for Finland

All data for Finland →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of global plastic waste imports in Finland?
Share of global plastic waste imports in Finland was 0.2% 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 Finland?
The highest recorded value was 1.5% in 1988.
What is the lowest share of global plastic waste imports recorded in Finland?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 2019.
How does Finland rank for share of global plastic waste imports?
Finland ranks 41st out of 183 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of global plastic waste imports rising or falling in Finland?
Over the last ten years it is up 1,787.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Finland 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.

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Share of global plastic waste imports in Finland. 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-imports/finland/

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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

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