Global plastics use has increased six-fold since 1980, reaching a high of 460 million metric tons in 2019. Global plastics use was expected to decrease 2.2 percent year-on-year in 2020. This decline was mainly a result of COVID-19-related lockdown measures, which had a significant impact on plastics production and use. The last notable reduction in plastics use was during the 2008 /2009 global financial crisis. Global plastics use is forecast to continue rising in the coming decades.
Plastics use worldwide from 1980 to 2020
(in million metric tons)
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OECD. (June 21, 2022). Plastics use worldwide from 1980 to 2020 (in million metric tons) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 21, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1358043/plastic-consumption-worldwide/
OECD. "Plastics use worldwide from 1980 to 2020 (in million metric tons)." Chart. June 21, 2022. Statista. Accessed December 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1358043/plastic-consumption-worldwide/
OECD. (2022). Plastics use worldwide from 1980 to 2020 (in million metric tons). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1358043/plastic-consumption-worldwide/
OECD. "Plastics Use Worldwide from 1980 to 2020 (in Million Metric Tons)." Statista, Statista Inc., 21 Jun 2022, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1358043/plastic-consumption-worldwide/
OECD, Plastics use worldwide from 1980 to 2020 (in million metric tons) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1358043/plastic-consumption-worldwide/ (last visited December 21, 2024)
Plastics use worldwide from 1980 to 2020 (in million metric tons) [Graph], OECD, June 21, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1358043/plastic-consumption-worldwide/
