Beach litter in Australia

Australia: Beach litter was 150,188 number in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)
150,188 number
Change on year
up 15.6%
World rank
47th
of 71 countries
All-time high
210,440 number
in 2017
All-time low
1,514 number
in 2015
Years of data
6
2015–2022

Beach litter in Australia, 2015–2022

050.0k100.0k150.0k200.0k2015201820222015: 1.5k number2016: 7.2k number2017: 210.4k number2018: 141.0k number2021: 129.9k number2022: 150.2k number

Source: United Nations Environment Programme – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in number.

Analysis

The most recent figure for beach litter in Australia is 150,188 number, measured in 2022.

That represents a change of up 15.6% on the previous year and up 9,819.5% over ten years.

That places Australia 47th out of 71 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 90,035 number 1,514 number 210,440 number 4
2020s 140,060 number 129,932 number 150,188 number 2

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 44 Chile 159,732 number compare
  2. 45 Trinidad and Tobago 158,046 number compare
  3. 46 Bahamas 150,771 number compare
  4. 48 Greece 143,586 number compare
  5. 49 United States Virgin Islands 126,499 number compare
  6. 50 South Africa 122,938 number compare

See the full ranking of 71 places →

More reference data data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is beach litter in Australia?
Beach litter in Australia was 150,188 number in 2022, according to United Nations Environment Programme – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest beach litter recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 210,440 number in 2017.
What is the lowest beach litter recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 1,514 number in 2015.
How does Australia rank for beach litter?
Australia ranks 47th out of 71 countries with data for 2022.
Is beach litter rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is up 9,819.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Australia data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Environment Programme – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Beach litter. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 6 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Beach litter
Unit
number
Source
United Nations Environment Programme – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
71 places, 425 data points, 2015–2023
Last refreshed

Beach litter per square kilometer (Number)