Data Coverage Note
Country attribution in this dataset exists only for the 50 named outfalls from the study's human-reviewed table (Table S5). The figures on this page cover those named rivers only. They are not a national total: the study models thousands of additional outfall points whose country attribution has not been verified on this site.
Named rivers by country, ranked by combined modeled emission
- Philippines19 named rivers, 150,693 metric tons per year combined, 15.0% of the modeled global total
- India8 named rivers, 32,861 metric tons per year combined, 3.3% of the modeled global total
- Malaysia5 named rivers, 23,574 metric tons per year combined, 2.3% of the modeled global total
- China3 named rivers, 9,062 metric tons per year combined, 0.9% of the modeled global total
- India / Bangladesh1 named river, 6,222 metric tons per year combined, 0.6% of the modeled global total
- Myanmar2 named rivers, 6,104 metric tons per year combined, 0.6% of the modeled global total
- Cameroon2 named rivers, 5,173 metric tons per year combined, 0.5% of the modeled global total
- Vietnam1 named river, 4,127 metric tons per year combined, 0.4% of the modeled global total
- Thailand1 named river, 4,027 metric tons per year combined, 0.4% of the modeled global total
- Nigeria1 named river, 3,999 metric tons per year combined, 0.4% of the modeled global total
- Ivory Coast1 named river, 3,304 metric tons per year combined, 0.3% of the modeled global total
- Tanzania1 named river, 3,238 metric tons per year combined, 0.3% of the modeled global total
- Indonesia1 named river, 2,797 metric tons per year combined, 0.3% of the modeled global total
- Sri Lanka1 named river, 2,721 metric tons per year combined, 0.3% of the modeled global total
- Bangladesh1 named river, 2,554 metric tons per year combined, 0.3% of the modeled global total
- Brazil1 named river, 2,553 metric tons per year combined, 0.3% of the modeled global total
- Dominican Republic1 named river, 2,180 metric tons per year combined, 0.2% of the modeled global total
Methodology Note
Figures are modeled estimates from Meijer et al. (2021), summed over each country's named top 50 outfalls. They are not national totals and not direct measurements.
By-Country FAQ
Which country has the most high-emission rivers?
The Philippines, with 19 of the 50 named highest-emission outfalls in the Meijer et al. (2021) model, including 7 of the top 10. Small, heavily urbanized coastal catchments with dense populations explain the pattern; see the individual river profiles for drivers.
What percentage of global ocean plastic comes from each country?
This page reports the share of the modeled riverine total carried by each country's named top 50 rivers. Those shares are floors, not national totals, because country attribution in this dataset exists only for the 50 named outfalls. The named rivers in the Philippines alone represent 15.0% of the modeled global riverine total.
Why is the Ganges listed as "India / Bangladesh"?
The dataset attributes the Ganges outfall to India and Bangladesh jointly, reflecting the delta it shares between the two countries. To avoid double counting, this table keeps that attribution as its own row; the India and Bangladesh hub pages both list the river with a note.
Are these figures measurements?
No. They are modeled annual estimates from a global framework, aggregated from the 50 named outfalls in the dataset. They are best used for relative comparison, not as audited national statistics.
Sources
- Meijer, L.J.J. et al. (2021). "More than 1000 rivers account for 80% of global riverine plastic emissions into the ocean." Science Advances, 7(18). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aaz5803
- UNEP (2021). "From Pollution to Solution: A Global Assessment of Marine Litter and Plastic Pollution." View report