Countries by Plastic Waste Generation 2024

Source: Wikipedia

Countries by Plastic Waste Generation 2024

Bar

H-Bar

Line

Area

🗺 Map

Table

Key Findings

🏆

United States leads in Plastic Waste Generated (Million Metric Tons) with 42 in 2024.

📊

Average Plastic Waste Generated (Million Metric Tons) in 2024: 12.61 · median: 7.35.

↔️

Gap in 2024: United States is 11.1× larger than United Kingdom.

About This Dataset

Countries by Plastic Waste Generation 2024

Countries ranked by total plastic waste generated annually in 2024, measured in millions of metric tons according to OECD Global Plastics Outlook data. The United States generates the most plastic waste of any country in absolute terms — approximately 42 million metric tons per year — while simultaneously having some of the lowest recycling rates among wealthy nations, with the majority of American plastic waste ending up in landfill or incineration rather than being recycled.

Analysis

United States heads the table on 42, ahead of China (21.6) and India (9.30) in Plastic Waste Generated (Million Metric Tons) in 2024. United States and China together hold 63% of the combined total of all 8 entities. Places 3 to 8 are close together, spanning 9.30 to 3.80. It takes the next 4 entities (China, India, Brazil, Germany) added together to match United States.

Data Insights Below

Data Insights

Numbers, trends & sources behind this chart

Admin

⬡

Data Points

8 categories · 1 year

↑

Top Value

United States

Plastic Waste Generated (Million Metric Tons) · 2024

◈

Metrics

Plastic Waste Generated (Million Metric Tons)

◷

Period

2024

Single year snapshot

Methodology & source

Data source: Wikipedia
Coverage: 8 entities · 2024 · 8 observations
Measure: Plastic Waste Generated (Million Metric Tons)
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 Generated (Million Metric Tons) · ranked by 2024

✓ 8 sourced

#	Category	2024
🥇	United States	42
🥈	China	21.60
🥉	India	9.30
4	Brazil	8.10
5	Germany	6.60
6	Japan	4.90
7	France	4.60
8	United Kingdom	3.80

Data Sources & References

All external sources cited in this dataset

1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_pollution Visit ↗

Was this chart useful?

⚑ Spotted an error in this data? Report it

How these countries rank across all our charts

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

All countries →

Cite this chart

Using this chart in an article, report, class or website? Please cite it and link to this page.

APA

ANYSTAT. (2026). Countries by Plastic Waste Generation 2024 [Data set]. Data: Wikipedia. https://anystat.ai/stats/331/countries-by-plastic-waste-generation-2024

MLA

"Countries by Plastic Waste Generation 2024." ANYSTAT, 6 Sep. 2026, https://anystat.ai/stats/331/countries-by-plastic-waste-generation-2024.

Link for your website

<a href="https://anystat.ai/stats/331/countries-by-plastic-waste-generation-2024">Countries by Plastic Waste Generation 2024</a> (ANYSTAT)

Countries by Plastic Waste Generation 2024