Most plastic waste generated in a year (country)

According to the most recent figures available compiled by the World Bank, a record 242 million tonnes (267 million US tons) of plastic waste were generated globally in 2016, representing 12% of all municipal solid waste. The country that produced the most plastic waste in that period was the USA, with an estimated 34 million tonnes (37.5 million US tons). A re-evaluation of the data in a study published in Science Advances on 30 October 2020 suggests that the USA's 2016 waste plastic total could have been even higher - 42,027,215 tonnes (46,327,074 US tons) - once illegal dumping and exported waste are also factored in.

Per capita, based on the same dataset, the top plastic producer is the Federated States of Micronesia, with each of its citizens on average generating 308.25 kg (679 lb 9 oz) per annum according to the World Bank data. The USA's per capita annual plastic production of 130.09 kg (286 lb 12.8 oz) may be considerably lower, but given the country's much larger population (323 million vs 110,000) it has a far greater impact in terms of overall waste plastic generation, and ultimately plastic pollution.