Share of global plastic waste imports in Iran

Iran: Share of global plastic waste imports was 0.0% in 2018. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2018)
0.0%
Change on year
down 1.8%
World rank
68th
of 183 countries
All-time high
0.0%
in 2013
All-time low
0.0%
in 1999
Years of data
17
1997–2018

Share of global plastic waste imports in Iran, 1997–2018

00.010.020.030.040.051997200720181997: 0.005 %1999: 0 %2000: 0.006 %2001: 0.001 %2002: 0.002 %2003: 0.002 %2004: 0 %2005: 0.003 %2006: 0 %2010: 0.002 %2011: 0.018 %2013: 0.049 %2014: 0.006 %2015: 0.013 %2016: 0.021 %2017: 0.038 %2018: 0.038 %

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 Iran is 0.0%, measured in 2018.

The figure is down 1.8% on the previous year and up 7,468.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of global plastic waste imports in Iran peaked at 0.0% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1999.

That places Iran 68th out of 183 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.

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

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

Annual values for Share of global plastic waste imports in Iran, 1997 to 2018.
Year % Change
1997 0.0%
1999 0.0% -94.8%
2000 0.0% +2140.4%
2001 0.0% -82.0%
2002 0.0% +66.6%
2003 0.0% +7.1%
2004 0.0% -75.5%
2005 0.0% +508.7%
2006 0.0% -81.4%
2010 0.0% +388.3%
2011 0.0% +649.1%
2013 0.0% +170.0%
2014 0.0% -88.1%
2015 0.0% +128.6%
2016 0.0% +58.4%
2017 0.0% +81.2%
2018 0.0% -1.8%

Iran compared with similar countries

  • Iran's 0.0% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.0%, 8.7× the median. (52 countries reporting)
  • Iran's 0.0% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 0.0%, 82% of the median. (19 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Share of global plastic waste imports in Iran changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2000 +2140.4% 0.0% 0.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
2000s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 7
2010s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 8

Countries ranked near Iran

  1. 65 Tunisia 0.0% compare
  2. 66 Dominican Republic 0.0% compare
  3. 67 Kyrgyzstan 0.0% compare
  4. 69 Angola 0.0% compare
  5. 70 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.0% compare
  6. 71 Qatar 0.0% compare

See the full ranking of 183 places →

More environment data for Iran

All data for Iran →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of global plastic waste imports in Iran?
Share of global plastic waste imports in Iran was 0.0% in 2018, 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 Iran?
The highest recorded value was 0.0% in 2013.
What is the lowest share of global plastic waste imports recorded in Iran?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1999.
How does Iran rank for share of global plastic waste imports?
Iran ranks 68th out of 183 countries with data for 2018.
Is share of global plastic waste imports rising or falling in Iran?
Over the last ten years it is up 7,468.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Iran 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 Iran. 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/iran-islamic-rep/

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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.