Environment and energy · ranked by Plastic waste generation
Countries generating the most plastic waste
| # | Name | Plastic waste generation | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 59.1k thousand tonnes | new | |
| 2 | 37.8k thousand tonnes | new | |
| 3 | 14.5k thousand tonnes | new | |
| 4 | 11.9k thousand tonnes | new | |
| 5 | 7,993.49 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 6 | 6,412.21 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 7 | 5,961.75 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 8 | 5,839.69 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 9 | 5,596.66 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 10 | 5,464.47 thousand tonnes | new |
Show positions 11–50
| 11 | 5,045.71 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 12 | 4,925.59 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 13 | 4,709.16 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 14 | 4,557.13 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 15 | 4,493.08 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 16 | 4,465.8 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 17 | 3,919.27 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 18 | 3,725.46 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 19 | 3,532.5 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 20 | 3,268.23 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 21 | 2,899.26 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 22 | 2,753.55 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 23 | 2,670 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 24 | 2,621.61 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 25 | 2,571.4 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 26 | 2,565.77 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 27 | 2,413.46 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 28 | 2,031.68 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 29 | 2,025.77 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 30 | 1,898.34 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 31 | 1,888.17 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 32 | 1,745.12 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 33 | 1,724.51 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 34 | 1,561.62 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 35 | 1,543.88 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 36 | 1,495.23 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 37 | 1,373.02 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 38 | 1,365.59 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 39 | 1,346.91 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 40 | 1,292.74 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 41 | 1,156.52 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 42 | 1,154.31 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 43 | 1,059.8 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 44 | 1,022.68 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 45 | 1,020.41 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 46 | 900.66 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 47 | 887.5 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 48 | 863.56 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 49 | 826.44 thousand tonnes | new | |
| 50 | 811.86 thousand tonnes | new |
History
How the top 10 has moved
Positions of today's top 10 across every published snapshot.
About this ranking
Countries generating the most plastic waste, explained
Countries generating the most plastic waste is a live ranking of the top 50 entries in environment and energy by Plastic waste generation, 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.
China currently holds #1 with 59.1k thousand tonnes. United States is second with 37.8k thousand tonnes, which puts the leader 56% ahead. Germany completes the top three with 14.5k thousand tonnes. Together the top three account for about 69% of the combined top-10 total, which gives a quick sense of how concentrated this ranking is.
How it is measured: Total plastic waste generated. Our World in Data chart "plastic-waste-generation-total" (column plastic_waste_generation__tonnes__total); 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 generating the most plastic waste?
- China is #1 with 59.1k thousand tonnes, as of 2026-11-02. United States is #2.
- How is Countries generating the most plastic waste ranked?
- By Plastic waste generation. Total plastic waste generated. Our World in Data chart "plastic-waste-generation-total" (column plastic_waste_generation__tonnes__total); 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.