The overall value of exported plastic items rose by an average 29.1% for all exporting countries since 2018 when plastic items shipped worldwide were valued at $79.1 billion.
Year over year, the value of exported articles made from plastics flatlined via a -1.7% reduction compared to $104 billion in international sales during 2021.
The 5 biggest exporters of plastic items are mainland China, Germany, United States of America, Italy and France. By value, that cohort of major plastics exporters generated three-fifths (60.1%) of globally exported items made from plastics.
From a continental perspective, countries in Asia sold the highest dollar value worth of exported plastic articles on international markets via a 48.2% share. In second place was Europe at 37.8%, trailed by suppliers in North America at 12.3%.
Tinier percentages came from Africa (0.7%), Latin America (0.6%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, then Oceania (0.2%) led by Australia and New Zealand.
For research purposes, the 4-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix is 3926 for articles made from plastics.
Plastic Item Exports by Country
Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of plastic items during 2022.
- China: US$34.9 billion (34.1% of exported plastic items)
- Germany: $10.9 billion (10.7%)
- United States: $8.6 billion (8.4%)
- Italy: $3.6 billion (3.5%)
- France: $3.4 billion (3.3%)
- Poland: $3 billion (2.9%)
- Netherlands: $2.7 billion (2.7%)
- Mexico: $2.6 billion (2.6%)
- Japan: $2.2 billion (2.1%)
- Taiwan: $2.1 billion (2%)
- Czech Republic: $2 billion (2%)
- South Korea: $1.8 billion (1.7%)
- Vietnam: $1.62 billion (1.6%)
- Belgium: $1.58 billion (1.5%)
- Austria: $1.52 billion (1.5%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 80.8% of a myriad of plastic items exported in 2022.
Among the top exporters, there were four growth exporters of plastic items, namely Mexico (up 16.1% from 2021), Vietnam (up 11.3%), United States of America (up 10.3%) and South Korea (up 1.8%).
Those countries that posted declines in their export sales for plastic items were led by: Japan (down -7.8% from 2021), Belgium (down -6.4%), Czech Republic (down -5.8%), Germany (down -5.8%) and Italy (down -4.6%).
Searchable List of Plastic Items Exporting Countries in 2022
The 100 key exporters of items made from plastic shown in the automated database below represent 99.96% of the overall value of plastic items exported during 2022.
| Rank | Exporter | Exported Plastics | 2021-2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | China | $34,881,282,000 | -1.6% |
| 2. | Germany | $10,892,937,000 | -5.8% |
| 3. | United States | $8,624,388,000 | +10.3% |
| 4. | Italy | $3,570,953,000 | -4.6% |
| 5. | France | $3,386,939,000 | -1.4% |
| 6. | Poland | $3,003,244,000 | -3.1% |
| 7. | Netherlands | $2,727,987,000 | -1.2% |
| 8. | Mexico | $2,620,951,000 | +16.1% |
| 9. | Japan | $2,183,704,000 | -7.8% |
| 10. | Taiwan | $2,068,808,000 | -2.8% |
| 11. | Czech Republic | $2,044,756,000 | -5.8% |
| 12. | South Korea | $1,761,816,000 | +1.8% |
| 13. | Vietnam | $1,623,012,000 | +11.3% |
| 14. | Belgium | $1,580,019,000 | -6.4% |
| 15. | Austria | $1,518,610,000 | -0.5% |
| 16. | United Kingdom | $1,507,622,000 | -3.2% |
| 17. | Hong Kong | $1,414,005,000 | -24.7% |
| 18. | Canada | $1,356,716,000 | +2.1% |
| 19. | Spain | $1,142,737,000 | -1.1% |
| 20. | Thailand | $1,043,133,000 | -1.8% |
| 21. | Hungary | $1,036,040,000 | -7.6% |
| 22. | Switzerland | $997,900,000 | +0.7% |
| 23. | Singapore | $971,459,000 | +14.3% |
| 24. | India | $810,612,000 | -5.2% |
| 25. | Sweden | $795,379,000 | -6.6% |
| 26. | Malaysia | $776,651,000 | -0.1% |
| 27. | Slovakia | $772,822,000 | -2.9% |
| 28. | Denmark | $655,597,000 | -13.3% |
| 29. | Türkiye | $606,253,000 | +6.6% |
| 30. | Portugal | $502,827,000 | -3.7% |
| 31. | Romania | $498,330,000 | -1.4% |
| 32. | Israel | $463,025,000 | -12.5% |
| 33. | Slovenia | $443,669,000 | +7.5% |
| 34. | Tunisia | $429,575,000 | +37.2% |
| 35. | Ireland | $336,748,000 | +20.1% |
| 36. | Philippines | $235,989,000 | +0.5% |
| 37. | Finland | $213,284,000 | -7.8% |
| 38. | Indonesia | $187,455,000 | +3.6% |
| 39. | Lithuania | $177,115,000 | -11.6% |
| 40. | Dominican Republic | $170,516,000 | +81.3% |
| 41. | Australia | $159,942,000 | +17.6% |
| 42. | Brazil | $148,548,000 | +10% |
| 43. | Bulgaria | $126,047,000 | -2.1% |
| 44. | South Africa | $112,155,000 | +3.3% |
| 45. | Estonia | $105,040,000 | -9.9% |
| 46. | Morocco | $104,381,000 | +0.6% |
| 47. | Russia | $99,043,000 | -44.2% |
| 48. | Greece | $96,749,000 | -0.6% |
| 49. | Costa Rica | $92,495,000 | -7.7% |
| 50. | Norway | $85,216,000 | +37.8% |
| 51. | Serbia | $75,784,000 | +2.7% |
| 52. | Latvia | $74,165,000 | -8.7% |
| 53. | New Zealand | $59,414,000 | -23% |
| 54. | Panama | $57,192,000 | +31.6% |
| 55. | Egypt | $53,681,000 | -19.1% |
| 56. | Croatia | $52,437,000 | +1% |
| 57. | United Arab Emirates | $41,785,000 | -89.9% |
| 58. | Cambodia | $37,393,000 | -14.5% |
| 59. | Luxembourg | $36,482,000 | -4.3% |
| 60. | El Salvador | $33,592,000 | -41.7% |
| 61. | Ukraine | $28,972,000 | -27% |
| 62. | Colombia | $28,666,000 | -19.5% |
| 63. | Malta | $28,449,000 | -10.2% |
| 64. | Guatemala | $28,007,000 | +6.8% |
| 65. | Jordan | $27,633,000 | +54.5% |
| 66. | Bangladesh | $25,954,000 | +42.9% |
| 67. | Bosnia/Herzegovina | $23,084,000 | -4.9% |
| 68. | Honduras | $20,947,000 | +5327% |
| 69. | Argentina | $17,891,000 | -8.4% |
| 70. | Chile | $17,505,000 | +37.5% |
| 71. | Peru | $13,935,000 | -35.5% |
| 72. | Kazakhstan | $13,138,000 | +176% |
| 73. | Togo | $12,792,000 | -37.1% |
| 74. | Sri Lanka | $10,589,000 | -40% |
| 75. | Belarus | $10,420,000 | -84.6% |
| 76. | Myanmar | $9,247,000 | +6.5% |
| 77. | Saudi Arabia | $7,360,000 | +63.4% |
| 78. | Zambia | $6,884,000 | +64.8% |
| 79. | Iran | $6,544,000 | -86.3% |
| 80. | Qatar | $6,428,000 | +357.8% |
| 81. | Pakistan | $6,036,000 | -13.4% |
| 82. | Lebanon | $5,517,000 | +4.6% |
| 83. | Bahrain | $5,183,000 | +58.2% |
| 84. | Armenia | $5,174,000 | +245.9% |
| 85. | Kenya | $5,043,000 | +22.1% |
| 86. | Bahamas | $4,940,000 | -14.3% |
| 87. | Namibia | $4,896,000 | +88.6% |
| 88. | Ecuador | $4,222,000 | -4.6% |
| 89. | North Macedonia | $3,954,000 | +13.4% |
| 90. | Kyrgyzstan | $3,680,000 | +88% |
| 91. | Ivory Coast | $2,917,000 | +68.5% |
| 92. | Cameroon | $2,746,000 | +324.4% |
| 93. | Mauritania | $2,551,000 | -21.1% |
| 94. | Laos | $2,515,000 | +482.2% |
| 95. | Uruguay | $2,440,000 | +14.5% |
| 96. | Nigeria | $2,280,000 | +216.7% |
| 97. | Trinidad and Tobago | $2,236,000 | -0.8% |
| 98. | Cyprus | $1,786,000 | -25.1% |
| 99. | Moldova | $1,782,000 | +16.1% |
| 100. | Uzbekistan | $1,657,000 | +37.2% |
You can change the presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of any of the columns in the above table. An entry of 0% in the right-most column means that no 2021 data was available.
The fastest-growing countries in terms of supplying exported plastic items to worldwide trade partners are: Honduras (up 5,327% from 2021), Laos (up 482.2%), Qatar (up 357.8%), Cameroon (up 324.4%), Armenia (up 245.9%) and Nigeria (up 216.7%).
Countries with Greatest Plastic Items Trade Surpluses
The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for plastic items during 2022. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the surplus between the value of each country’s exported plastics and its import purchases for that same commodity.
- China: US$30.7 billion (net export surplus down -1.1% since 2021)
- Germany: $3.1 billion (down -12.4%)
- Italy: $1.4 billion (down -5.4%)
- Taiwan: $1.3 billion (down -2.9%)
- Poland: $577.4 million (up 1.6%)
- Slovenia: $207.2 million (up 23.8%)
- Austria: $149.6 million (down -17.3%)
- Netherlands: $140.2 million (reversing a -$21.7 million deficit)
- Israel: $120.7 million (down -23.7%)
- Tunisia: $84.1 million (up 211.9%)
- South Korea: $10.9 million (down -58%)
- Togo: $7.5 million (down -49.5%)
- Estonia: $3.5 million (down -17.8%)
- Tokelau: $93,000 (up 416.7%)
- Pitcairn: $62,000 (up 210%)
Mainland China generated the highest surplus in the international trade of plastic items. In turn, this positive cashflow confirms the strong Chinese competitive advantage for this specific product category.
Countries with Worst Plastic Items Trade Deficits
The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for articles made from plastics during 2022. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the deficit between the value of each country’s imported plastic items from purchases and its exports for that same commodity.
- United States: -US$7.3 billion (net export deficit down -21.2% since 2021)
- Mexico: -$3 billion (up 5.3%)
- Japan: -$1.7 billion (down -1.5%)
- United Kingdom: -$1.2 billion (up 17.5%)
- Australia: -$1 billion (down -2.7%)
- Thailand: -$958.2 million (up 6.5%)
- Canada: -$899.8 million (up 2.6%)
- Russia: -$795.3 million (down -46.6%)
- France: -$741 million (down -22.9%)
- United Arab Emirates: -$705 million (up 301.2%)
- Brazil: -$685.9 million (down -6%)
- Romania: -$627.3 million (down -1.6%)
- Dominican Republic: -$568.9 million (up 6.4%)
- Spain: -$557.8 million (down -17.9%)
- Saudi Arabia: -$546.9 million (up 12%)
The United States of America incurred the highest deficit in the international trade of plastic items. In turn, this negative cashflow highlights America’s competitive disadvantage for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for plastics-supplying countries that help satisfy the powerful demand.
See also Top Cork Exporting Countries, Sawn Wood Exports by Country, Top Stainless Steel Exporters by Country and Paper Exports by Country
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Imports – Commodities. Accessed on August 14, 2023
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on August 14, 2023
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on August 14, 2023
