tonnes of plastic leaked to the ocean in 2019 (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development scope)

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)’s narrower estimate: 22 million tonnes leaked to the environment, 6.1 million to water and 1.7 million to the ocean in 2019.

Impact: Oceans and rivers

Region: Global

Value: 1.7M
Unit: tonnes
Data year: 2019
Trend: Rising
Source name: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Global Plastics Outlook
Source link: oecd.org/en/publications/global-plastics-outlook_de747aef-en.html
Confidence: Evidence: Medium
Caveat / scope: Figure from secondary coverage; recheck against primary. Narrow scope; do not mix with Borrelle or Jambeck figures.
Verified on: 22 September 2026

Sources last verified 22 September 2026. Page updated 23 September 2026. How we check sources

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