Share of global plastic waste imports in Pakistan

Pakistan: Share of global plastic waste imports was 1.0% in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
1.0%
Change on year
down 24.6%
World rank
21st
of 183 countries
All-time high
1.3%
in 2018
All-time low
0.1%
in 2016
Years of data
21
2003–2024

Share of global plastic waste imports in Pakistan, 2003–2024

00.250.50.7511.22003201320242003: 0.3 %2004: 0.309 %2005: 0.336 %2006: 0.22 %2007: 0.231 %2008: 0.292 %2009: 0.174 %2010: 0.297 %2011: 0.366 %2012: 0.278 %2013: 0.251 %2014: 0.35 %2015: 0.227 %2016: 0.109 %2017: 0.468 %2018: 1.3 %2019: 0.943 %2020: 0.888 %2021: 1.2 %2023: 1.3 %2024: 0.971 %

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 Pakistan stood at 1.0%.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 24.6% on the previous year and up 177.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of global plastic waste imports in Pakistan peaked at 1.3% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 2016.

Pakistan ranks 21st 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
2000s 0.3% 0.2% 0.3% 7
2010s 0.5% 0.1% 1.3% 10
2020s 1.1% 0.9% 1.3% 4

Countries ranked near Pakistan

  1. 18 Portugal 1.5% compare
  2. 19 Romania 1.2% compare
  3. 20 India 1.2% compare
  4. 22 Croatia 1.0% compare
  5. 23 Russia 0.7% compare
  6. 24 Egypt 0.7% compare

See the full ranking of 183 places →

More environment data for Pakistan

All data for Pakistan →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of global plastic waste imports in Pakistan?
Share of global plastic waste imports in Pakistan was 1.0% 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 Pakistan?
The highest recorded value was 1.3% in 2018.
What is the lowest share of global plastic waste imports recorded in Pakistan?
The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 2016.
How does Pakistan rank for share of global plastic waste imports?
Pakistan ranks 21st out of 183 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of global plastic waste imports rising or falling in Pakistan?
Over the last ten years it is up 177.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Pakistan 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 — 21 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.