Share of global plastic waste imports in Netherlands

Netherlands: Share of global plastic waste imports was 13.8% in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
13.8%
Change on year
down 21.1%
World rank
2nd
of 183 countries
All-time high
18.4%
in 2022
All-time low
0.0%
in 2014
Years of data
33
1992–2024

Share of global plastic waste imports in Netherlands, 1992–2024

051015201992200820241992: 17.4 %1993: 6 %1994: 7.8 %1995: 3.9 %1996: 5.8 %1997: 4.7 %1998: 4.2 %1999: 3.4 %2000: 2.4 %2001: 2.4 %2002: 2 %2003: 2.6 %2004: 1.9 %2005: 1.9 %2006: 1.7 %2007: 1.6 %2008: 1.7 %2009: 0.951 %2010: 1.8 %2011: 2.3 %2012: 2.9 %2013: 3.6 %2014: 0 %2015: 4 %2016: 3.5 %2017: 4.9 %2018: 7.6 %2019: 10.6 %2020: 11 %2021: 13.4 %2022: 18.4 %2023: 17.4 %2024: 13.8 %

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 Netherlands is 13.8%, measured in 2024.

The figure is down 21.1% on the previous year and up 30.2% over five years.

Over the whole period, share of global plastic waste imports in Netherlands peaked at 18.4% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 2014.

That places Netherlands 2nd 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 6.6% 3.4% 17.4% 8
2000s 1.9% 1.0% 2.6% 10
2010s 4.1% 0.0% 10.6% 10
2020s 14.8% 11.0% 18.4% 5

Countries ranked near Netherlands

  1. 1 Turkey 14.2% compare
  2. 3 Germany 10.8% compare
  3. 4 Malaysia 9.1% compare
  4. 5 Belgium 7.3% compare

See the full ranking of 183 places →

More environment data for Netherlands

All data for Netherlands →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of global plastic waste imports in Netherlands?
Share of global plastic waste imports in Netherlands was 13.8% 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 Netherlands?
The highest recorded value was 18.4% in 2022.
What is the lowest share of global plastic waste imports recorded in Netherlands?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 2014.
How does Netherlands rank for share of global plastic waste imports?
Netherlands ranks 2nd out of 183 countries with data for 2024.
Where does this Netherlands 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 — 33 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.