Where The World’s Ocean Plastic Waste Comes From

In the past decade, plastic pollution has become one of the most visible environmental issues worldwide. Every year, millions of tonnes of plastic enter the ocean, affecting marine life, coastal communities, and ecosystems.

This visualization, via Visual Capitalist’s Bruno Venditti, ranks the countries responsible for the highest cumulative leakage of mismanaged plastic waste that escaped and washed up on other countries’ beaches from 2010 to 2019.

The data for this visualization comes from the Global Plastic Hub.

Asia Leads in Ocean Plastic Leakage

China is the largest contributor, responsible for over 2.6 million tonnes of plastic waste that ended up on foreign beaches.

It’s followed by the Philippines (1.7 million tonnes), and India (966,000 tonnes).

Rapid economic growth, urbanization, and inadequate waste management systems contribute to these high figures.

Seven of the top 10 countries on the list are in Asia, underlining the region’s central role in the global ocean plastic crisis.

Plastic Waste Doesn’t Stay Local

Plastic debris often travel thousands of kilometers across oceans, carried solely by currents, wind, tides, and time.

For example, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch—a massive swirling zone between California and Hawaii—accumulates plastic from as far as Asia, North America, and South America.

The patch spans around 1.6 million km², comparable to twice the size of Texas.

The annual economic costs due to marine plastic pollution are estimated to be between $6-19 billion. According to the OECD, preventing land-based plastic leakage into the ocean across 38 member countries and 10 major plastic waste emitters in Asia and Africa could cost more than $86 billion.

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