Beach litter in China

China: Beach litter was 1.01 million number in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)
1.01 million number
Change on year
down 62.2%
World rank
6th
of 71 countries
All-time high
14.22 million number
in 2015
All-time low
114,916 number
in 2016
Years of data
6
2015–2022

Beach litter in China, 2015–2022

05.0M10.0M15.0M2015201820222015: 14.2M number2016: 114.9k number2017: 278.8k number2018: 134.6k number2021: 2.7M number2022: 1.0M number

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

Analysis

China recorded 1.01 million number for beach litter in 2022.

The figure is down 62.2% on the previous year and down 92.9% over ten years.

China ranks 6th of 71 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

Beach litter in China, year by year

Annual values for Beach litter in China, 2015 to 2022.
Year number Change
2015 14.22 million number
2016 114,916 number -99.2%
2017 278,760 number +142.6%
2018 134,588 number -51.7%
2021 2.67 million number +1884.0%
2022 1.01 million number -62.2%

China compared with similar countries

  • China's 1.01 million number is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 231,432 number, 4.4× the median. (20 countries reporting)
  • China's 1.01 million number is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 216,080 number, 4.7× the median. (14 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 3.69 million number 114,916 number 14.22 million number 4
2020s 1.84 million number 1.01 million number 2.67 million number 2

Countries ranked near China

  1. 3 Bangladesh 1.48 million number compare
  2. 4 Cayman Islands 1.36 million number compare
  3. 5 Vanuatu 1.10 million number compare
  4. 7 Guatemala 1.00 million number compare
  5. 8 Mozambique 984,353 number compare
  6. 9 Costa Rica 864,376 number compare

See the full ranking of 71 places →

More reference data data for China

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is beach litter in China?
Beach litter in China was 1.01 million number in 2022, according to United Nations Environment Programme – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest beach litter recorded in China?
The highest recorded value was 14.22 million number in 2015.
What is the lowest beach litter recorded in China?
The lowest recorded value was 114,916 number in 2016.
How does China rank for beach litter?
China ranks 6th out of 71 countries with data for 2022.
Is beach litter rising or falling in China?
Over the last ten years it is down 92.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this China 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.

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Beach litter in China. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Environment Programme – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/beach-litter/china/

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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).