Share of global plastic waste imports in Kenya

Kenya: Share of global plastic waste imports was 0.1% in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
0.1%
Change on year
up 14.7%
World rank
46th
of 183 countries
All-time high
0.1%
in 2023
All-time low
0.0%
in 2002
Years of data
25
1992–2023

Share of global plastic waste imports in Kenya, 1992–2023

00.050.10.151992200720231992: 0.004 %1997: 0.004 %1998: 0.003 %1999: 0.003 %2000: 0.002 %2001: 0.002 %2002: 0 %2003: 0.001 %2004: 0.001 %2005: 0.003 %2006: 0.002 %2007: 0.003 %2008: 0.004 %2009: 0.002 %2010: 0.002 %2013: 0.003 %2015: 0.011 %2016: 0.017 %2017: 0.016 %2018: 0.038 %2019: 0.07 %2020: 0.085 %2021: 0.113 %2022: 0.114 %2023: 0.131 %

Source: United Nations Comtrade Database (2025); United Nations Comtrade Database (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Kenya recorded 0.1% for share of global plastic waste imports in 2023. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 14.7% on the previous year and up 4,410.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of global plastic waste imports in Kenya peaked at 0.1% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 2002.

Kenya ranks 46th 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 4
2000s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 10
2010s 0.0% 0.0% 0.1% 7
2020s 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 4

Countries ranked near Kenya

  1. 43 Estonia 0.2% compare
  2. 44 Paraguay 0.2% compare
  3. 45 Morocco 0.1% compare
  4. 47 Sri Lanka 0.1% compare
  5. 48 El Salvador 0.1% compare
  6. 49 Nigeria 0.1% compare

See the full ranking of 183 places →

More environment data for Kenya

All data for Kenya →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of global plastic waste imports in Kenya?
Share of global plastic waste imports in Kenya was 0.1% in 2023, 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 Kenya?
The highest recorded value was 0.1% in 2023.
What is the lowest share of global plastic waste imports recorded in Kenya?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 2002.
How does Kenya rank for share of global plastic waste imports?
Kenya ranks 46th out of 183 countries with data for 2023.
Is share of global plastic waste imports rising or falling in Kenya?
Over the last ten years it is up 4,410.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Kenya 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.