Mismanaged plastic waste shares worldwide 2019, by region
Asia accounted for approximately 65 percent of global mismanaged plastic waste in 2019. The second largest contributor to mismanaged plastic waste was Africa, which accounted for just over 20 percent. Mismanaged plastic waste often ends up in rivers, which inevitably results in plastic waste leakage to oceans. Many of the largest plastic emitting rivers are in Asia, such as the Pasig river in the Philippines.
Although Asia accounts for the largest share of mismanaged plastic waste worldwide, wealthy countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom typically have far higher plastic waste generation per capita than developing countries.
