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Overview This page contains the latest trade data of Plastics and Rubbers. In 2022, Plastics and Rubbers were the world's 6th most traded product, with a total trade of $1.09T. Between 2021 and 2022 the exports of Plastics and Rubbers grew by 6.53%, from $1.02T to $1.09T. Trade in Plastics and Rubbers represent 4.6% of total world trade.

Plastics and Rubbers include Plastics & articles thereof and Rubber & articles thereof.

Exports In 2022 the top exporters of Plastics and Rubbers  were China ($189B), United States ($110B), Germany ($104B), South Korea ($53B), and Japan ($40.6B).

Imports In 2022 the top importers of Plastics and Rubbers were United States ($132B), China ($90.7B), Germany ($75.6B), France ($40.2B), and Mexico ($38.1B).

Ranking Plastics and Rubbers ranks 7th in the Product Complexity Index (PCI).

Latest Data

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The following visualization shows the latest trends on Plastics and Rubbers. Countries are shown based on data availability.

For a full breakdown of trade patterns, visit the trend explorer or the product in country profile.

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* Trade values are converted to USD using each month's exchange rate. For December 2023 data, the exchange rate from December 30, 2023 is used.

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Historical Data

Exporters and Importers

Top Origin (2022)China$189B
Top Destination (2022)United States$132B

In 2022 Plastics and Rubbers were the world's 6th most traded product (out of 21).

In 2022, the top exporters of Plastics and Rubbers were China ($189B), United States ($110B), Germany ($104B), South Korea ($53B), and Japan ($40.6B).

In 2022, the top importers of Plastics and Rubbers were United States ($132B), China ($90.7B), Germany ($75.6B), France ($40.2B), and Mexico ($38.1B).

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Exporters of Plastics and Rubbers (2022)
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Importers of Plastics and Rubbers (2022)
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Market Dynamics

Color
Top Origin Growth (2021 -  2022)China$26.9B
Top Destination Growth (2021 -  2022)United States$10.2B

Between 2021 and 2022, the exports of Plastics and Rubbers grew the fastest in China ($26.9B), United States ($22B), Germany ($5.64B), Netherlands ($2.77B), and Mexico ($2.56B).

Between 2021 and 2022, the fastest growing importers of Plastics and Rubbers were United States ($10.2B), Germany ($7.07B), Mexico ($4.17B), Canada ($3.74B), and India ($3.64B).

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Exporters of Plastics and Rubbers (2021 - 2022)

Importers of Plastics and Rubbers (2021 - 2022)

Market Concentration

Value

This chart shows the evolution of the market concentration of exports of Plastics and Rubbers.

In 2022, market concentration measured using Shannon Entropy, was 4.88. This means that most of the exports of Plastics and Rubbers are explained by 29 countries.

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Value of Exports in Plastics and Rubbers

Net Trade

TOP NET EXPORTER (2022)China$98.4B
TOP NET IMPORTER (2022)United States$22.4B

This map shows which countries export or import more of Plastics and Rubbers. Each country is colored based on the difference in exports and imports of Plastics and Rubbers during 2022.

In 2022, the countries that had a largest trade value in exports than in imports of Plastics and Rubbers were China ($98.4B), South Korea ($36.1B), Germany ($28B), Thailand ($22.3B), and Saudi Arabia ($16.9B).

In 2022, the countries that had a largest trade value in imports than in exports of Plastics and Rubbers were United States ($22.4B), Mexico ($21.3B), Australia ($12.9B), United Kingdom ($12.4B), and India ($12.1B).

Net Trade (2022)

Disaggregation

Value
Disaggregation

In 2022, the world most traded Plastics and Rubbers, disaggragated by their HS6 level were Plastics & articles thereof ($864B) and Rubber & articles thereof ($227B)

HS6 Disaggregation for Plastics and Rubbers (2022)
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Country Comparison

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Ranking

This visualization shows the countries that have an important ratio of their trade related to Plastics and Rubbers.
It is possible to select the main countries that export or import Plastics and Rubbers in the world, or by continent, as well as select the measure of interest.

Top 10 Exporters Countries of Plastics and Rubbers by percentage of total exports

Potential Exports

Potential Exports

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TOP EXPORT POTENTIALIndia+ $3.6B
TOP IMPORT POTENTIALUnited States+ $1.8B

Plastics and Rubbers’s highest export potential is India. With an export gap of $3.6B.  Plastics and Rubbers’s highest import potential is United States with an import gap of $1.8B.

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Product Complexity

Diversification Frontier

Specialization

The Complexity-Relatedness diagram compares the risk and the strategic value of a product's potential export opportunities. Relatedness is predictive of the probability that a country increases its exports in a product. Complexity, is associated with higher levels of income, economic growth potential, lower income inequality, and lower emissions.

Relatedness vs Country Complexity (2022)

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