Environment and energy · ranked by Plastic waste emitted to the ocean
Countries with the most plastic waste emitted to the ocean
| # | Name | Plastic waste emitted to the ocean | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 356.4k tonnes per year | new | |
| 2 | 126.5k tonnes per year | new | |
| 3 | 73.1k tonnes per year | new | |
| 4 | 70.7k tonnes per year | new | |
| 5 | 56.3k tonnes per year | new | |
| 6 | 37.8k tonnes per year | new | |
| 7 | 28.2k tonnes per year | new | |
| 8 | 24.6k tonnes per year | new | |
| 9 | 22.8k tonnes per year | new | |
| 10 | 18.6k tonnes per year | new |
Show positions 11–50
| 11 | 14.3k tonnes per year | new | |
| 12 | 10.7k tonnes per year | new | |
| 13 | 9,654 tonnes per year | new | |
| 14 | 7,142 tonnes per year | new | |
| 15 | 6,929 tonnes per year | new | |
| 16 | 6,276 tonnes per year | new | |
| 17 | 5,988 tonnes per year | new | |
| 18 | 5,785 tonnes per year | new | |
| 19 | 5,774 tonnes per year | new | |
| 20 | 5,237 tonnes per year | new | |
| 21 | 4,784 tonnes per year | new | |
| 22 | 4,266 tonnes per year | new | |
| 23 | 4,185 tonnes per year | new | |
| 24 | 4,137 tonnes per year | new | |
| 25 | 3,624 tonnes per year | new | |
| 26 | 3,557 tonnes per year | new | |
| 27 | 3,512 tonnes per year | new | |
| 28 | 3,059 tonnes per year | new | |
| 29 | 2,638 tonnes per year | new | |
| 30 | 2,544 tonnes per year | new | |
| 31 | 2,544 tonnes per year | new | |
| 32 | 2,471 tonnes per year | new | |
| 33 | 2,436 tonnes per year | new | |
| 34 | 2,431 tonnes per year | new | |
| 35 | 2,347 tonnes per year | new | |
| 36 | 2,334 tonnes per year | new | |
| 37 | 1,835 tonnes per year | new | |
| 38 | 1,800 tonnes per year | new | |
| 39 | 1,677 tonnes per year | new | |
| 40 | 1,639 tonnes per year | new | |
| 41 | 1,565 tonnes per year | new | |
| 42 | 1,465 tonnes per year | new | |
| 43 | 1,246 tonnes per year | new | |
| 44 | 1,136 tonnes per year | new | |
| 45 | 1,113 tonnes per year | new | |
| 46 | 998 tonnes per year | new | |
| 47 | 928 tonnes per year | new | |
| 48 | 879 tonnes per year | new | |
| 49 | 873 tonnes per year | new | |
| 50 | 860 tonnes per year | new |
History
How the top 10 has moved
Positions of today's top 10 across every published snapshot.
About this ranking
Countries with the most plastic waste emitted to the ocean, explained
Countries with the most plastic waste emitted to the ocean is a live ranking of the top 50 entries in environment and energy by Plastic waste emitted to the ocean, built from public data published by Our World in Data. It was last refreshed on 2026-11-02. This is the first published snapshot; from the next refresh onwards the page will also show movers, new entries and a rank history chart.
Philippines currently holds #1 with 356.4k tonnes per year. India is second with 126.5k tonnes per year, which puts the leader 2.8 times ahead. Malaysia completes the top three with 73.1k tonnes per year. Together the top three account for about 68% of the combined top-10 total, which gives a quick sense of how concentrated this ranking is.
How it is measured: Mismanaged plastic waste emitted to the ocean per year. Our World in Data chart "plastic-waste-emitted-to-the-ocean" (column mismanaged_waste_emitted_to_the_ocean__metric_tons_year_1); most recent year per country within the last five years of data, regional aggregates excluded. Caveat: Years differ by country; the chart page documents the original source and its limitations. Data from Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0) and the sources it cites. The full top 50 is on this page, with positions 11 to 50 one click away, and each entry links to its own profile showing every ranking it appears in.
Use this page to check who is number one right now, compare any two entries head to head, or test yourself with the quiz, which asks you to name all ten in three minutes. Year-end archives are available for 2026, freezing the ranking as it stood at the close of each year. Top10Earth never estimates or edits a value: each number is fetched from its source, hashed, stored and ranked by software, then checked by a quality gate before it is published. If a refresh fails the gate, the previous snapshot stays live and the problem is reviewed by a person.
Frequently asked questions
- Who is #1 in Countries with the most plastic waste emitted to the ocean?
- Philippines is #1 with 356.4k tonnes per year, as of 2026-11-02. India is #2.
- How is Countries with the most plastic waste emitted to the ocean ranked?
- By Plastic waste emitted to the ocean. Mismanaged plastic waste emitted to the ocean per year. Our World in Data chart "plastic-waste-emitted-to-the-ocean" (column mismanaged_waste_emitted_to_the_ocean__metric_tons_year_1); most recent year per country within the last five years of data, regional aggregates excluded.
- How often is this ranking updated?
- It refreshes on a fixed schedule from Our World in Data. The latest snapshot was captured on 2026-11-02.
- Where does the data come from?
- Our World in Data. Data from Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0) and the sources it cites. The raw payload for every refresh is stored unchanged so any number can be traced back.