Global production of paper and paperboard 1961-2023
The global production volume of paper and paperboard was approximately 401 million metric tons in 2023. This was a decrease in comparison to the previous year. Since 2010, global production of paper and paperboard has remained relatively stable, averaging roughly 400 million metric tons per year.
Global paper producing regions
China is the world’s largest paper producer by far, with a production output of 134 million metric tons in 2023. The United States ranked second that year, producing 60.7 million metric tons of paper. China’s paper production far outweighs all other paper producers and, as a whole, Asia dominates regional global paper production. While the adoption of technology has reduced the global consumption of certain types of paper such as newsprint, the overall consumption, and therefore production, of paper is growing. For example, packaging paper and board production has steadily increased in the past decade, while graphic paper production has steadily declined in that time.
End uses of paper
When broken down by grade, corrugated material accounts for the largest share of paper produced worldwide, at roughly 45 percent. Printing and writing paper is the second most produced paper grade, accounting for over 18 percent of the global production.
