plastic drink bottles bought every minute (2016)

Around 480 billion plastic bottles were sold in 2016, about a million a minute, according to market research cited by The Guardian.

Region: Global

Value: ~1 million
Unit: bottles
Data year: 2016
Trend: Rising
Source name: Euromonitor via The Guardian
Source link: theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/28/a-million-a-minute-worlds-plastic-bottle-binge-as-dangerous-as-climate-change
Confidence: Evidence: Contested
Caveat / scope: Proprietary market-research estimate, now nearly a decade old. Say 'around a million a minute in 2016'; update if a newer figure is obtained.
Verified on: 22 September 2026

Sources last verified 22 September 2026. Page updated 22 September 2026. How we check sources