India and China accounted for the largest shares of global mismanaged plastic waste in 2019, at 21 percent and 20 percent, respectively. The top 10 countries shown accounted for almost three quarters of global mismanaged plastic waste that year. The region that generates the most mismanaged plastic waste is Asia, accounting for 65 percent of the global total.
Although many developing countries lack the infrastructures to properly manage plastic waste, wealthy countries still export their plastic waste to them. Turkey, for example, accounts for roughly 2.7 percent of global mismanaged plastic waste, yet received roughly 700,000 metric tons of plastic waste exports from the European Union in 2020.
Distribution of mismanaged plastic waste worldwide in 2019, by select country
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Share of mismanaged plastic
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Mismanaged plastic waste is defined as plastic that is either littered or inadequately disposed. Inadequately disposed waste is not formally managed and includes disposal in dumps or open, uncontrolled landfills, where it is not fully
contained.
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OWID. (April 1, 2022). Distribution of mismanaged plastic waste worldwide in 2019, by select country [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved July 22, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1270965/mismanaged-plastic-waste-worldwide-by-country/
OWID. "Distribution of mismanaged plastic waste worldwide in 2019, by select country." Chart. April 1, 2022. Statista. Accessed July 22, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1270965/mismanaged-plastic-waste-worldwide-by-country/
OWID. (2022). Distribution of mismanaged plastic waste worldwide in 2019, by select country. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: July 22, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1270965/mismanaged-plastic-waste-worldwide-by-country/
OWID. "Distribution of Mismanaged Plastic Waste Worldwide in 2019, by Select Country." Statista, Statista Inc., 1 Apr 2022, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1270965/mismanaged-plastic-waste-worldwide-by-country/
OWID, Distribution of mismanaged plastic waste worldwide in 2019, by select country Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1270965/mismanaged-plastic-waste-worldwide-by-country/ (last visited July 22, 2024)
Distribution of mismanaged plastic waste worldwide in 2019, by select country [Graph], OWID, April 1, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1270965/mismanaged-plastic-waste-worldwide-by-country/
