What is beach litter in Japan?

Beach litter in Japan was 170,673 number in 2022, according to United Nations Environment Programme – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest beach litter recorded in Japan?

The highest recorded value was 1.96 million number in 2016.

What is the lowest beach litter recorded in Japan?

The lowest recorded value was 170,673 number in 2022.

How does Japan rank for beach litter?

Japan ranks 40th out of 71 countries with data for 2022.

Is beach litter rising or falling in Japan?

Over the last ten years it is down 72.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this Japan 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.

Beach litter in Japan

Name: Beach litter in Japan
Creator: United Nations Environment Programme – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Japan: Beach litter was 170,673 number in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)

170,673 number

Change on year

down 19.6%

World rank

40th

of 71 countries

All-time high

1.96 million number

in 2016

All-time low

170,673 number

in 2022

Years of data

2015–2022

Beach litter in Japan, 2015–2022

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

Analysis

Japan recorded 170,673 number for beach litter in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 6 years on record.

That represents a change of down 19.6% on the previous year and down 72.5% over ten years.

Japan ranks 40th of 71 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
2010s	1.21 million number	468,998 number	1.96 million number	4
2020s	191,522 number	170,673 number	212,372 number	2

Countries ranked near Japan

37 Panama 185,806 number compare
38 India 183,680 number compare
39 Bermuda 180,301 number compare
41 Vietnam 165,576 number compare
42 Canada 163,600 number compare
43 Northern Mariana Islands 159,883 number compare

See the full ranking of 71 places →

More reference data data for Japan

Spring temperature anomalies 1.24 °C (2026)
Summer temperature anomalies 0.1053 °C (2026)
Temperature anomalies by month -0.7172 °C (2026)
Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
Autumn temperature anomalies 1.9 °C (2025)
Winter temperature anomalies 0.5865 °C (2025)
Consumer price index 118.04 2010 = 100 (2025)
Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
Competitive elections 1 (2025)
Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is beach litter in Japan?: Beach litter in Japan was 170,673 number in 2022, according to United Nations Environment Programme – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest beach litter recorded in Japan?: The highest recorded value was 1.96 million number in 2016.
What is the lowest beach litter recorded in Japan?: The lowest recorded value was 170,673 number in 2022.
How does Japan rank for beach litter?: Japan ranks 40th out of 71 countries with data for 2022.
Is beach litter rising or falling in Japan?: Over the last ten years it is down 72.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Japan 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: 07 August 2026

Beach litter per square kilometer (Number)