{"id": 1134067, "name": "Total plastic pollution per capita", "unit": "kilograms per person", "createdAt": "2026-01-21T20:52:02.000Z", "updatedAt": "2026-02-05T12:40:54.000Z", "coverage": "", "timespan": "2020-2020", "datasetId": 7331, "shortUnit": "kg/person", "columnOrder": 0, "shortName": "plas_em_per_cap", "catalogPath": "grapher/plastic_waste/2026-01-14/cottom_plastic_waste/cottom_plastic_waste#plas_em_per_cap", "descriptionShort": "Estimated total amount of plastic waste released to the environment per person each year through debris and open burning from municipal sources such as households, shops, and offices.", "type": "float", "grapherConfigIdETL": "019be254-1dcf-7d70-8b0a-8801397d895e", "dataChecksum": "13102177786700900463", "metadataChecksum": "-3060859985010854847", "datasetName": "Plastic Waste and Emissions (SPOT) - Cottom et al. (2024)", "updatePeriodDays": 365, "datasetVersion": "2026-01-14", "nonRedistributable": false, "display": {"name": "Total plastic pollution per capita", "unit": "kilograms per person", "shortUnit": "kg/person", "numDecimalPlaces": 1}, "schemaVersion": 2, "processingLevel": "minor", "presentation": {"titlePublic": "Total plastic pollution per capita", "topicTagsLinks": ["Plastic Pollution"]}, "descriptionKey": ["Plastic pollution is plastic that is no longer contained because it escapes from collection, disposal, or recycling and enters the environment.", "This data covers only macroplastics, which are plastic pieces larger than 5 millimetres.", "Total plastic pollution is the sum of debris (unburned plastic that escapes into the environment as physical items) and plastic burned in open, uncontrolled fires.", "Plastic pollution is attributed to five land-based sources: uncollected waste, littering, losses during collection and transport, uncontrolled disposal sites (open dumps), and rejects from sorting and reprocessing.", "Per-capita values are calculated by dividing the total annual value by the relevant population (for example, the population of a country, region or income group).", "Cottom et al. (2024) developed the [SPOT model](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07758-6) model, which first fills gaps in municipal waste data using statistical predictions. It then estimates how plastic flows through the waste system and quantifies the uncertainty in those estimates. The model produces results for around 50,700 municipalities, which are subsequently aggregated to country and regional totals.", "Values are model-based estimates and come with uncertainty. They should be interpreted as approximate estimates rather than exact measurements."], "dimensions": {"years": {"values": [{"id": 2020}]}, "entities": {"values": [{"id": 15, "name": "Afghanistan", "code": "AFG"}, {"id": 372420, "name": "Africa (UN M49)", "code": null}, {"id": 387, "name": "Akrotiri and Dhekelia", "code": "OWID_AKD"}, {"id": 296, "name": "Aland Islands", "code": "ALA"}, {"id": 16, "name": "Albania", "code": "ALB"}, {"id": 17, "name": "Algeria", "code": "DZA"}, {"id": 246, "name": "American Samoa", "code": "ASM"}, {"id": 372416, "name": "Americas (UN M49)", "code": null}, {"id": 18, "name": "Andorra", "code": "AND"}, {"id": 19, "name": "Angola", "code": "AGO"}, {"id": 228, "name": "Anguilla", "code": "AIA"}, {"id": 20, "name": "Antigua and Barbuda", "code": "ATG"}, {"id": 21, "name": "Argentina", "code": "ARG"}, {"id": 22, "name": "Armenia", "code": "ARM"}, {"id": 219, "name": "Aruba", "code": "ABW"}, {"id": 372401, "name": "Asia (UN M49)", "code": null}, {"id": 23, "name": "Australia", "code": "AUS"}, {"id": 24, "name": "Austria", "code": "AUT"}, {"id": 25, "name": "Azerbaijan", "code": "AZE"}, {"id": 26, "name": "Bahamas", "code": "BHS"}, {"id": 27, "name": "Bahrain", "code": "BHR"}, {"id": 28, "name": "Bangladesh", "code": "BGD"}, {"id": 29, "name": "Barbados", "code": "BRB"}, {"id": 30, "name": "Belarus", "code": "BLR"}, {"id": 4, "name": "Belgium", "code": "BEL"}, {"id": 31, "name": "Belize", "code": "BLZ"}, {"id": 32, "name": "Benin", "code": "BEN"}, {"id": 194, "name": "Bermuda", "code": "BMU"}, {"id": 33, "name": "Bhutan", "code": "BTN"}, {"id": 34, "name": "Bolivia", "code": "BOL"}, {"id": 348, "name": "Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba", "code": "BES"}, {"id": 35, "name": "Bosnia and Herzegovina", "code": "BIH"}, {"id": 36, "name": "Botswana", "code": "BWA"}, {"id": 37, "name": "Brazil", "code": "BRA"}, {"id": 196, "name": "British Virgin Islands", "code": "VGB"}, {"id": 38, "name": "Brunei", "code": "BRN"}, {"id": 39, "name": "Bulgaria", "code": "BGR"}, {"id": 40, "name": "Burkina Faso", "code": "BFA"}, {"id": 41, "name": "Burundi", "code": "BDI"}, {"id": 42, "name": "Cambodia", "code": "KHM"}, {"id": 43, "name": "Cameroon", "code": "CMR"}, {"id": 44, "name": "Canada", "code": "CAN"}, {"id": 45, "name": "Cape Verde", "code": "CPV"}, {"id": 197, "name": "Cayman Islands", "code": "CYM"}, {"id": 174, "name": "Central African Republic", "code": "CAF"}, {"id": 173, "name": "Chad", "code": "TCD"}, {"id": 172, "name": "Chile", "code": "CHL"}, {"id": 171, "name": "China", "code": "CHN"}, {"id": 247, "name": "Christmas Island", "code": "CXR"}, {"id": 263, "name": "Cocos Islands", "code": "CCK"}, {"id": 170, "name": "Colombia", "code": "COL"}, {"id": 169, "name": "Comoros", "code": "COM"}, {"id": 168, "name": "Congo", "code": "COG"}, {"id": 199, "name": "Cook Islands", "code": "COK"}, {"id": 166, "name": "Costa Rica", "code": "CRI"}, {"id": 143, "name": "Cote d'Ivoire", "code": "CIV"}, {"id": 165, "name": "Croatia", "code": "HRV"}, {"id": 164, "name": "Cuba", "code": "CUB"}, {"id": 279, "name": "Curacao", "code": "CUW"}, {"id": 163, "name": "Cyprus", "code": "CYP"}, {"id": 162, "name": "Czechia", "code": "CZE"}, {"id": 167, "name": "Democratic Republic of Congo", "code": "COD"}, {"id": 161, "name": "Denmark", "code": "DNK"}, {"id": 154, "name": "Djibouti", "code": "DJI"}, {"id": 200, "name": "Dominica", "code": "DMA"}, {"id": 160, "name": "Dominican Republic", "code": "DOM"}, {"id": 225, "name": "East Timor", "code": "TLS"}, {"id": 201, "name": "Ecuador", "code": "ECU"}, {"id": 65, "name": "Egypt", "code": "EGY"}, {"id": 259, "name": "El Salvador", "code": "SLV"}, {"id": 159, "name": "Equatorial Guinea", "code": "GNQ"}, {"id": 157, "name": "Eritrea", "code": "ERI"}, {"id": 156, "name": "Estonia", "code": "EST"}, {"id": 78, "name": "Eswatini", "code": "SWZ"}, {"id": 158, "name": "Ethiopia", "code": "ETH"}, {"id": 372405, "name": "Europe (UN M49)", "code": null}, {"id": 249, "name": "Falkland Islands", "code": "FLK"}, {"id": 250, "name": "Faroe Islands", "code": "FRO"}, {"id": 202, "name": "Fiji", "code": "FJI"}, {"id": 155, "name": "Finland", "code": "FIN"}, {"id": 3, "name": "France", "code": "FRA"}, {"id": 253, "name": "French Guiana", "code": "GUF"}, {"id": 203, "name": "French Polynesia", "code": "PYF"}, {"id": 153, "name": "Gabon", "code": "GAB"}, {"id": 151, "name": "Gambia", "code": "GMB"}, {"id": 152, "name": "Georgia", "code": "GEO"}, {"id": 6, "name": "Germany", "code": "DEU"}, {"id": 150, "name": "Ghana", "code": "GHA"}, {"id": 251, "name": "Gibraltar", "code": "GIB"}, {"id": 149, "name": "Greece", "code": "GRC"}, {"id": 205, "name": "Greenland", "code": "GRL"}, {"id": 206, "name": "Grenada", "code": "GRD"}, {"id": 252, "name": "Guadeloupe", "code": "GLP"}, {"id": 254, "name": "Guam", "code": "GUM"}, {"id": 148, "name": "Guatemala", "code": "GTM"}, {"id": 282, "name": "Guernsey", "code": "GGY"}, {"id": 147, "name": "Guinea", "code": "GIN"}, {"id": 94, "name": "Guinea-Bissau", "code": "GNB"}, {"id": 146, "name": "Guyana", "code": "GUY"}, {"id": 145, "name": "Haiti", "code": "HTI"}, {"id": 457, "name": "High-income countries", "code": "OWID_HIC"}, {"id": 139, "name": "Honduras", "code": "HND"}, {"id": 144, "name": "Hong Kong", "code": "HKG"}, {"id": 138, "name": "Hungary", "code": "HUN"}, {"id": 207, "name": "Iceland", "code": "ISL"}, {"id": 137, "name": "India", "code": "IND"}, {"id": 136, "name": "Indonesia", "code": "IDN"}, {"id": 135, "name": "Iran", "code": "IRN"}, {"id": 134, "name": "Iraq", "code": "IRQ"}, {"id": 2, "name": "Ireland", "code": "IRL"}, {"id": 265, "name": "Isle of Man", "code": "IMN"}, {"id": 133, "name": "Israel", "code": "ISR"}, {"id": 8, "name": "Italy", "code": "ITA"}, {"id": 132, "name": "Jamaica", "code": "JAM"}, {"id": 14, "name": "Japan", "code": "JPN"}, {"id": 283, "name": "Jersey", "code": "JEY"}, {"id": 130, "name": "Jordan", "code": "JOR"}, {"id": 131, "name": "Kazakhstan", "code": "KAZ"}, {"id": 129, "name": "Kenya", "code": "KEN"}, {"id": 204, "name": "Kiribati", "code": "KIR"}, {"id": 379, "name": "Kosovo", "code": "OWID_KOS"}, {"id": 208, "name": "Kuwait", "code": "KWT"}, {"id": 126, "name": "Kyrgyzstan", "code": "KGZ"}, {"id": 125, "name": "Laos", "code": "LAO"}, {"id": 122, "name": "Latvia", "code": "LVA"}, {"id": 124, "name": "Lebanon", "code": "LBN"}, {"id": 123, "name": "Lesotho", "code": "LSO"}, {"id": 121, "name": "Liberia", "code": "LBR"}, {"id": 120, "name": "Libya", "code": "LBY"}, {"id": 209, "name": "Liechtenstein", "code": "LIE"}, {"id": 119, "name": "Lithuania", "code": "LTU"}, {"id": 461, "name": "Low-income countries", "code": "OWID_LIC"}, {"id": 460, "name": "Lower-middle-income countries", "code": "OWID_LMC"}, {"id": 210, "name": "Luxembourg", "code": "LUX"}, {"id": 262, "name": "Macao", "code": "MAC"}, {"id": 118, "name": "Madagascar", "code": "MDG"}, {"id": 117, "name": "Malawi", "code": "MWI"}, {"id": 116, "name": "Malaysia", "code": "MYS"}, {"id": 211, "name": "Maldives", "code": "MDV"}, {"id": 115, "name": "Mali", "code": "MLI"}, {"id": 212, "name": "Malta", "code": "MLT"}, {"id": 223, "name": "Marshall Islands", "code": "MHL"}, {"id": 284, "name": "Martinique", "code": "MTQ"}, {"id": 114, "name": "Mauritania", "code": "MRT"}, {"id": 213, "name": "Mauritius", "code": "MUS"}, {"id": 193, "name": "Mayotte", "code": "MYT"}, {"id": 113, "name": "Mexico", "code": "MEX"}, {"id": 222, "name": "Micronesia (country)", "code": "FSM"}, {"id": 111, "name": "Moldova", "code": "MDA"}, {"id": 214, "name": "Monaco", "code": "MCO"}, {"id": 112, "name": "Mongolia", "code": "MNG"}, {"id": 215, "name": "Montenegro", "code": "MNE"}, {"id": 216, "name": "Montserrat", "code": "MSR"}, {"id": 110, "name": "Morocco", "code": "MAR"}, {"id": 109, "name": "Mozambique", "code": "MOZ"}, {"id": 142, "name": "Myanmar", "code": "MMR"}, {"id": 108, "name": "Namibia", "code": "NAM"}, {"id": 218, "name": "Nauru", "code": "NRU"}, {"id": 107, "name": "Nepal", "code": "NPL"}, {"id": 5, "name": "Netherlands", "code": "NLD"}, {"id": 220, "name": "New Caledonia", "code": "NCL"}, {"id": 106, "name": "New Zealand", "code": "NZL"}, {"id": 105, "name": "Nicaragua", "code": "NIC"}, {"id": 104, "name": "Niger", "code": "NER"}, {"id": 103, "name": "Nigeria", "code": "NGA"}, {"id": 261, "name": "Niue", "code": "NIU"}, {"id": 285, "name": "Norfolk Island", "code": "NFK"}, {"id": 128, "name": "North Korea", "code": "PRK"}, {"id": 66, "name": "North Macedonia", "code": "MKD"}, {"id": 390, "name": "Northern Cyprus", "code": "OWID_CYN"}, {"id": 266, "name": "Northern Mariana Islands", "code": "MNP"}, {"id": 102, "name": "Norway", "code": "NOR"}, {"id": 372423, "name": "Oceania (UN M49)", "code": null}, {"id": 217, "name": "Oman", "code": "OMN"}, {"id": 101, "name": "Pakistan", "code": "PAK"}, {"id": 224, "name": "Palau", "code": "PLW"}, {"id": 140, "name": "Palestine", "code": "PSE"}, {"id": 100, "name": "Panama", "code": "PAN"}, {"id": 99, "name": "Papua New Guinea", "code": "PNG"}, {"id": 372425, "name": "Paracel Islands", "code": null}, {"id": 98, "name": "Paraguay", "code": "PRY"}, {"id": 97, "name": "Peru", "code": "PER"}, {"id": 96, "name": "Philippines", "code": "PHL"}, {"id": 34985, "name": "Pitcairn Islands", "code": null}, {"id": 11, "name": "Poland", "code": "POL"}, {"id": 95, "name": "Portugal", "code": "PRT"}, {"id": 93, "name": "Puerto Rico", "code": "PRI"}, {"id": 226, "name": "Qatar", "code": "QAT"}, {"id": 245, "name": "Reunion", "code": "REU"}, {"id": 92, "name": "Romania", "code": "ROU"}, {"id": 12, "name": "Russia", "code": "RUS"}, {"id": 91, "name": "Rwanda", "code": "RWA"}, {"id": 297, "name": "Saint Barthelemy", "code": "BLM"}, {"id": 260, "name": "Saint Helena", "code": "SHN"}, {"id": 227, "name": "Saint Kitts and Nevis", "code": "KNA"}, {"id": 229, "name": "Saint Lucia", "code": "LCA"}, {"id": 280, "name": "Saint Martin (French part)", "code": "MAF"}, {"id": 353, "name": "Saint Pierre and Miquelon", "code": "SPM"}, {"id": 230, "name": "Saint Vincent and the Grenadines", "code": "VCT"}, {"id": 239, "name": "Samoa", "code": "WSM"}, {"id": 231, "name": "San Marino", "code": "SMR"}, {"id": 232, "name": "Sao Tome and Principe", "code": "STP"}, {"id": 90, "name": "Saudi Arabia", "code": "SAU"}, {"id": 89, "name": "Senegal", "code": "SEN"}, {"id": 88, "name": "Serbia", "code": "SRB"}, {"id": 233, "name": "Seychelles", "code": "SYC"}, {"id": 87, "name": "Sierra Leone", "code": "SLE"}, {"id": 86, "name": "Singapore", "code": "SGP"}, {"id": 281, "name": "Sint Maarten (Dutch part)", "code": "SXM"}, {"id": 85, "name": "Slovakia", "code": "SVK"}, {"id": 83, "name": "Slovenia", "code": "SVN"}, {"id": 195, "name": "Solomon Islands", "code": "SLB"}, {"id": 82, "name": "Somalia", "code": "SOM"}, {"id": 81, "name": "South Africa", "code": "ZAF"}, {"id": 127, "name": "South Korea", "code": "KOR"}, {"id": 258, "name": "South Sudan", "code": "SSD"}, {"id": 9, "name": "Spain", "code": "ESP"}, {"id": 141, "name": "Sri Lanka", "code": "LKA"}, {"id": 79, "name": "Sudan", "code": "SDN"}, {"id": 234, "name": "Suriname", "code": "SUR"}, {"id": 298, "name": "Svalbard and Jan Mayen", "code": "SJM"}, {"id": 10, "name": "Sweden", "code": "SWE"}, {"id": 7, "name": "Switzerland", "code": "CHE"}, {"id": 77, "name": "Syria", "code": "SYR"}, {"id": 198, "name": "Taiwan", "code": "TWN"}, {"id": 76, "name": "Tajikistan", "code": "TJK"}, {"id": 64, "name": "Tanzania", "code": "TZA"}, {"id": 75, "name": "Thailand", "code": "THA"}, {"id": 74, "name": "Togo", "code": "TGO"}, {"id": 287, "name": "Tokelau", "code": "TKL"}, {"id": 235, "name": "Tonga", "code": "TON"}, {"id": 73, "name": "Trinidad and Tobago", "code": "TTO"}, {"id": 71, "name": "Tunisia", "code": "TUN"}, {"id": 70, "name": "Turkey", "code": "TUR"}, {"id": 69, "name": "Turkmenistan", "code": "TKM"}, {"id": 236, "name": "Turks and Caicos Islands", "code": "TCA"}, {"id": 237, "name": "Tuvalu", "code": "TUV"}, {"id": 68, "name": "Uganda", "code": "UGA"}, {"id": 67, "name": "Ukraine", "code": "UKR"}, {"id": 72, "name": "United Arab Emirates", "code": "ARE"}, {"id": 1, "name": "United Kingdom", "code": "GBR"}, {"id": 13, "name": "United States", "code": "USA"}, {"id": 256, "name": "United States Virgin Islands", "code": "VIR"}, {"id": 459, "name": "Upper-middle-income countries", "code": "OWID_UMC"}, {"id": 63, "name": "Uruguay", "code": "URY"}, {"id": 62, "name": "Uzbekistan", "code": "UZB"}, {"id": 221, "name": "Vanuatu", "code": "VUT"}, {"id": 257, "name": "Vatican", "code": "VAT"}, {"id": 238, "name": "Venezuela", "code": "VEN"}, {"id": 84, "name": "Vietnam", "code": "VNM"}, {"id": 255, "name": "Wallis and Futuna", "code": "WLF"}, {"id": 248, "name": "Western Sahara", "code": "ESH"}, {"id": 355, "name": "World", "code": "OWID_WRL"}, {"id": 61, "name": "Yemen", "code": "YEM"}, {"id": 60, "name": "Zambia", "code": "ZMB"}, {"id": 80, "name": "Zimbabwe", "code": "ZWE"}]}}, "origins": [{"id": 10867, "title": "A local-to-global emissions inventory of macroplastic pollution", "description": "This dataset provides national, regional, and global estimates of plastic waste generation, collection, and emissions from the SPOT (Spatial Plastic Optimization Tool) material flow analysis model. It includes comprehensive metrics on waste generation, collection coverage, disposal methods, and resulting emissions of macroplastics to the environment.\n\nThe data covers waste generation (WG), properly collected waste (PWG), per capita metrics, plastic debris emissions, burn emissions, litter, uncollected waste, collection and disposal emissions, recycling, collection coverage, disposal types (controlled/uncontrolled), management practices, and population without collection services.", "producer": "Cottom et al.", "citationFull": "Cottom, J., Cook, E., Veeken, A. et al. A local-to-global emissions inventory of macroplastic pollution. Nature (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07758-6", "urlMain": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07758-6", "dateAccessed": "2026-01-14", "datePublished": "2024-07-19", "license": {"url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07758-6", "name": "CC BY 4.0"}}]}