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Who buys China’s polyethylene? Export destinations 2024

In 2024, China exported $2.2 billion of polyethylene (1.5 million tonnes), 2.5% of the world total. Its main destinations were Vietnam (12%), Russia (8%) and Bangladesh (5%). China was the world’s 11th-largest exporter of polyethylene.

Summary

Value
$2.2billion
Tonnes
1.5million tonnes
Share of world total
2.5%
World rank
11th
Routes to the main destinations. Width: value; color: estimated transport mode.SeaAirLand

Destinations

The 20 main destinations in the latest year.

PartnerValue (USD millions)TonnesUSD per tonneShareMode
Vietnam260Tonnes: 159,453USD per tonne: $1,62912%Land
Russia163Tonnes: 103,812USD per tonne: $1,5717.6%Land
Bangladesh99.8Tonnes: 93,514USD per tonne: $1,0684.6%Sea
Nigeria71.6Tonnes: 48,139USD per tonne: $1,4873.3%Sea
India69.4Tonnes: 48,452USD per tonne: $1,4333.2%Land
Indonesia68.3Tonnes: 53,657USD per tonne: $1,2723.2%Sea
Saudi Arabia54.3Tonnes: 34,983USD per tonne: $1,5522.5%Sea
United Arab Emirates53.1Tonnes: 31,077USD per tonne: $1,7092.5%Sea
Turkey52.3Tonnes: 34,314USD per tonne: $1,5262.4%Sea
Ghana51.6Tonnes: 37,719USD per tonne: $1,3672.4%Sea
Malaysia51.4Tonnes: 36,834USD per tonne: $1,3962.4%Sea
United States50.9Tonnes: 37,840USD per tonne: $1,3452.4%Sea
South Korea50.5Tonnes: 33,939USD per tonne: $1,4882.3%Sea
Thailand50.5Tonnes: 38,662USD per tonne: $1,3062.3%Sea
Tanzania48.3Tonnes: 42,898USD per tonne: $1,1272.2%Sea
Algeria46Tonnes: 23,735USD per tonne: $1,9372.1%Sea
Cambodia44.9Tonnes: 33,532USD per tonne: $1,3392.1%Sea
Brazil43.1Tonnes: 31,156USD per tonne: $1,3832%Sea
Egypt41.1Tonnes: 27,731USD per tonne: $1,4831.9%Sea
Germany38.5Tonnes: 29,026USD per tonne: $1,3251.8%Sea

Trend

Who it sells to

Vietnam has been its main destination since 2024

Value in USD millions. The five largest destinations in 2024.

  • Vietnam 260
  • Russia 163
  • Bangladesh 99.8
  • Nigeria 71.6
  • India 69.4

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
Partner19952024
Vietnam0.24260
Russia0.15163
Bangladesh0.3199.8
Nigeria071.6
India0.3669.4

Sources and methodology

Other products of this country

Sources and licenses

Methodology

Goods trade from CEPII BACI (BACI_HS92_V202601), which reconciles what exporters and importers report: countries that stopped reporting (Russia since 2022) appear with their partners’ data. FOB values in current US dollars; tonnes when BACI reports them. The price per tonne is the value of the rows with a weight divided by that weight. The transport mode is our own estimate based on value per kilo and geography. Data up to 2024.

Hong Kong, Singapore, the Netherlands and Belgium re-export goods from other countries: their figures include transit.

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