Share of global plastic waste imports in France

France: Share of global plastic waste imports was 2.9% in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
2.9%
Change on year
up 18.5%
World rank
14th
of 183 countries
All-time high
3.3%
in 2022
All-time low
0.0%
in 2019
Years of data
31
1994–2024

Share of global plastic waste imports in France, 1994–2024

01231994200920241994: 0.692 %1995: 0.69 %1996: 1.1 %1997: 0.706 %1998: 0.605 %1999: 0.579 %2000: 0.593 %2001: 0.665 %2002: 0.608 %2003: 0.646 %2004: 0.494 %2005: 0.464 %2006: 0.502 %2007: 0.503 %2008: 0.571 %2009: 0.387 %2010: 0.611 %2011: 0.668 %2012: 0.691 %2013: 0.756 %2014: 0.721 %2015: 0.784 %2016: 0.745 %2017: 1.1 %2018: 2 %2019: 0 %2020: 2.6 %2021: 0 %2022: 3.3 %2023: 2.4 %2024: 2.9 %

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 global plastic waste imports in France is 2.9%, measured in 2024.

The figure is up 18.5% on the previous year and up 296.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of global plastic waste imports in France peaked at 3.3% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 2019.

That places France 14th 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
1990s 0.7% 0.6% 1.1% 6
2000s 0.5% 0.4% 0.7% 10
2010s 0.8% 0.0% 2.0% 10
2020s 2.2% 0.0% 3.3% 5

Countries ranked near France

  1. 11 Sweden 3.8% compare
  2. 12 Canada 3.3% compare
  3. 13 Thailand 3.1% compare
  4. 15 Slovenia 2.4% compare
  5. 16 Lithuania 2.2% compare
  6. 17 Denmark 2.0% compare

See the full ranking of 183 places →

More environment data for France

All data for France →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of global plastic waste imports in France?
Share of global plastic waste imports in France was 2.9% 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 France?
The highest recorded value was 3.3% in 2022.
What is the lowest share of global plastic waste imports recorded in France?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 2019.
How does France rank for share of global plastic waste imports?
France ranks 14th out of 183 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of global plastic waste imports rising or falling in France?
Over the last ten years it is up 296.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this France 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

CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

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.