Countries Generating the Most Plastic Waste

Source: Our World in Data

Countries Generating the Most Plastic Waste

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Key Findings

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United States leads in Plastic Waste (Million Tonnes/year) with 42 in 2024.

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Average Plastic Waste (Million Tonnes/year) in 2024: 16.11 · median: 10.20.

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Gap in 2024: United States is 8.6× larger than United Kingdom.

About This Dataset

Countries Generating the Most Plastic Waste

Countries ranked by total plastic waste generation in 2024, measured in millions of metric tonnes according to Our World in Data and UNEP data. The United States generates more plastic waste than any other country — both in absolute terms and per capita — though China and India produce the largest quantities in Asia due to population scale.

Analysis

United States (42), India (26.3) and China (21.6) take the top three in Plastic Waste (Million Tonnes/year) in 2024. United States and India together hold 53% of the combined total of all 8 entities. Only 3 of the 8 reach even half the leader's figure (21 or more).

Data Insights Below

Data Insights

Numbers, trends & sources behind this chart

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Data Points

8 categories · 1 year

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Top Value

United States

Plastic Waste (Million Tonnes/year) · 2024

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Metrics

Plastic Waste (Million Tonnes/year)

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Period

2024

Single year snapshot

Methodology & source

Data source: Our World in Data
Coverage: 8 entities · 2024 · 8 observations
Measure: Plastic Waste (Million Tonnes/year)
Last updated: 6 September 2026
Compiled by: The ANYSTAT team, from the source above

How the figures are calculated

Values use the measure and unit named on this page. Consult the dataset description and cited source for coverage, definitions and any unit conversions. Displayed values may be rounded for readability.
Entities are ranked highest-first on their value in 2024.

Rankings & Full Data

8 records · Plastic Waste (Million Tonnes/year) · ranked by 2024

✓ 8 sourced

#	Category	2024
🥇	United States	42
🥈	India	26.30
🥉	China	21.60
4	Brazil	11.30
5	Indonesia	9.10
6	Mexico	7.60
7	Germany	6.10
8	United Kingdom	4.90

Data Sources & References

All external sources cited in this dataset

1 https://ourworldindata.org/plastic-pollution Visit ↗

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How these countries rank across all our charts

Each country's page lists its position in every ranking on ANYSTAT.

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Cite this chart

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APA

ANYSTAT. (2026). Countries Generating the Most Plastic Waste [Data set]. Data: Our World in Data. https://anystat.ai/stats/201/global-plastic-waste-by-country

MLA

"Countries Generating the Most Plastic Waste." ANYSTAT, 6 Sep. 2026, https://anystat.ai/stats/201/global-plastic-waste-by-country.

Link for your website

<a href="https://anystat.ai/stats/201/global-plastic-waste-by-country">Countries Generating the Most Plastic Waste</a> (ANYSTAT)

Countries Generating the Most Plastic Waste