Share of global plastic waste imports in Vietnam

Vietnam: Share of global plastic waste imports was 5.6% in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
5.6%
Change on year
down 16.6%
World rank
6th
of 183 countries
All-time high
6.7%
in 2021
All-time low
0.1%
in 2002
Years of data
22
2000–2023

Share of global plastic waste imports in Vietnam, 2000–2023

02462000201120232000: 0.082 %2001: 0.085 %2002: 0.069 %2003: 0.145 %2004: 0.126 %2005: 0.211 %2006: 0.289 %2007: 0.571 %2008: 0.611 %2009: 0.357 %2010: 0.381 %2011: 0.322 %2013: 0.451 %2014: 0.519 %2015: 0.591 %2016: 0.617 %2017: 1.2 %2018: 2.6 %2019: 5.1 %2020: 5.9 %2021: 6.7 %2023: 5.6 %

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

Analysis

Vietnam recorded 5.6% for share of global plastic waste imports in 2023.

That represents a change of down 16.6% on the previous year and up 1,130.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of global plastic waste imports in Vietnam peaked at 6.7% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 2002.

That places Vietnam 6th out of 183 countries with data for 2023, 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
2000s 0.3% 0.1% 0.6% 10
2010s 1.3% 0.3% 5.1% 9
2020s 6.0% 5.6% 6.7% 3

Countries ranked near Vietnam

  1. 3 Germany 10.8% compare
  2. 4 Malaysia 9.1% compare
  3. 5 Belgium 7.3% compare
  4. 7 Indonesia 5.5% compare
  5. 8 Czechia 4.5% compare
  6. 9 Italy 4.2% compare

See the full ranking of 183 places →

More environment data for Vietnam

All data for Vietnam →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of global plastic waste imports in Vietnam?
Share of global plastic waste imports in Vietnam was 5.6% 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 Vietnam?
The highest recorded value was 6.7% in 2021.
What is the lowest share of global plastic waste imports recorded in Vietnam?
The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 2002.
How does Vietnam rank for share of global plastic waste imports?
Vietnam ranks 6th out of 183 countries with data for 2023.
Is share of global plastic waste imports rising or falling in Vietnam?
Over the last ten years it is up 1,130.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Vietnam 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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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.