Where the World’s Ocean Plastic Waste Comes From
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Where the World’s Ocean Plastic Waste Comes From
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Key Takeaways
Five countries account for the vast majority of cumulative plastic waste that escapes and washes up on other countries’ beaches.
Seven of the top 10 countries on the list are in Asia.
In the past decade, plastic pollution has become one of the most visible environmental issues worldwide. Every year, millions of tonnes of plastic enter the ocean, affecting marine life, coastal communities, and ecosystems.
This visualization ranks the countries responsible for the highest cumulative leakage of mismanaged plastic waste that escaped and washed up on other countries’ beaches from 2010 to 2019. The data for this visualization comes from the Global Plastic Hub.
Asia Leads in Ocean Plastic Leakage
China is the largest contributor, responsible for over 2.6 million tonnes of plastic waste that ended up on foreign beaches. It’s followed by the Philippines (1.7 million tonnes), and India (966,000 tonnes). Rapid economic growth, urbanization, and inadequate waste management systems contribute to these high figures.
Seven of the top 10 countries on the list are in Asia, underlining the region’s central role in the global ocean plastic crisis.
RankCountryTonnes (2010-2019)
1 China2,683,631
2 Philippines1,695,260
3 India966,447
4 Brazil639,665
5 Indonesia599,020
6 Nigeria496,841
7 Viet Nam484,457
8 Turkey354,441
9 Thailand338,685
10 Malaysia332,756
11 Bangladesh315,755
12 Venezuela231,132
13 Bird Island231,132
14 Myanmar209,495
15 Egypt208,321
16 Algeria157,952
17 Tanzania114,737
18 Ghana107,907
19 Taiwan, Province of China97,418
20 Uruguay94,544
21 Tunisia89,176
22 Haiti84,238
23 Dominican Republic83,121
24 Libya73,477
25 Mozambique72,578
26 Cameroon67,709
27 Côte d'Ivoire57,394
28 Pakistan53,641
29 Angola52,877
30 Colombia47,506
31 Morocco44,087
32 Sri Lanka41,648
33 Peru39,863
34 Papua New Guinea36,165
35 Yemen35,625
36 Trinidad and Tobago35,244
37 Benin32,298
38 Togo31,773
39 Mexico31,004
40 South Africa30,352
41 Ecuador29,678
42 Solomon Islands27,939
43 Honduras26,859
44 Greece25,983
45 Ukraine25,859
46 Guinea25,167
47 Comoros24,691
48 Sierra Leone23,826
49 Hong Kong, China23,471
50 Russian Federation20,770
51 Senegal19,569
52 Lebanon19,420
53 Guatemala19,015
54 Albania18,501
55 U.S.16,910
56 Panama16,346
57 Jamaica16,260
58 Belize15,383
59 Guyana15,235
60 Nicaragua15,199
61 Liberia14,220
62 Kuwait12,740
63 Gambia12,178
64 Suriname11,589
65 Sudan11,308
66 Guinea-Bissau10,819
67 Iran10,750
68 Congo9,476
69 Democratic People's Republic of Korea8,873
70 Kenya7,941
71 El Salvador7,504
72 Netherlands6,488
73 UK6,242
74 Timor-Leste6,238
75 Italy5,930
76 Spain5,708
77 Canary Islands (Sp.)5,708
78 Eritrea5,677
79 Equatorial Guinea5,328
80 Argentina4,847
81 Costa Rica4,384
82 Saudi Arabia4,099
83 Croatia3,964
84 Djibouti3,401
85 Japan3,208
86 Syrian Arab Republic3,019
87 Australia2,920
88 Ashmore & Cartier Is.2,920
89 Republic of Korea2,865
90 Mauritania2,845
91 United Arab Emirates2,659
92 Somalia2,371
93 Israel2,368
94 Fiji2,340
95 Cambodia2,212
96 Gabon2,199
97 Madagascar2,132
98 Germany1,899
99 Romania1,825
100 Montenegro1,804
101 Saint Lucia1,591
102 Chile1,447
103 Sao Tome and Principe1,255
104 France1,105
105 Vanuatu997
106 Cape Verde975
107 Qatar868
108 Samoa809
109 Brunei Darussalam797
110 Portugal702
111 Azores Islands (Port.)702
112 Madeira Islands (Port.)702
113 Grenada553
114 Sweden514
115 Ireland508
116 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines466
117 Poland439
118 Georgia424
119 Canada421
120 Dominica408
121 Finland397
122 Namibia387
123 Barbados302
124 Puerto Rico (USA)287
125 Oman258
126 Tonga246
127 Latvia211
128 Bahrain204
129 Bahamas179
130 Antigua and Barbuda172
131 Micronesia 167
132 DRC149
133 Norway130
Plastic Waste Doesn’t Stay Local
Plastic debris often travel thousands of kilometers across oceans, carried solely by currents, wind, tides, and time. For example, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch—a massive swirling zone between California and Hawaii—accumulates plastic from as far as Asia, North America, and South America. The patch spans around 1.6 million km², comparable to twice the size of Texas.
The annual economic costs due to marine plastic pollution are estimated to be between $6-19 billion. According to the OECD, preventing land-based plastic leakage into the ocean across 38 member countries and 10 major plastic waste emitters in Asia and Africa could cost more than $86 billion.
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