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Ships for scrap: top exporters and importers (2024)

In 2024, world trade in ships for scrap totaled $807 million (432 thousand tonnes). The top exporters were Japan (18%), South Korea (13%) and Germany (11%); India accounted for 56% of imports, followed by Pakistan (15%) and Turkey (14%). Compared with 2019, the value fell 75%.

Summary

World trade
$807million
Tonnes
432thousand tonnes
Price per tonne
$544
The largest flows between countries. Width: value; color: estimated transport mode.SeaAirLand

Top exporters

  1. Japan$146 million · 18.1%
  2. South Korea$108 million · 13.4%
  3. Germany$88 million · 10.9%
  4. Nigeria$82 million · 10.2%
  5. China$64 million · 7.9%
  6. Norway$30 million · 3.7%
  7. Italy$29 million · 3.6%
  8. Poland$29 million · 3.6%
  9. Singapore$20 million · 2.5%
    re-exports
  10. Spain$19 million · 2.4%
  11. Thailand$18 million · 2.3%
  12. Panama$14 million · 1.8%
  13. United States$14 million · 1.7%
  14. Tanzania$13 million · 1.6%
  15. Finland$10 million · 1.3%
  16. Denmark$10 million · 1.3%
  17. Russia$9 million · 1.2%
  18. Netherlands$9 million · 1.1%
    re-exports
  19. France$9 million · 1.1%
  20. United Kingdom$9 million · 1.1%

Top importers

  1. India$449 million · 55.7%
  2. Pakistan$118 million · 14.7%
  3. Turkey$111 million · 13.7%
  4. Cameroon$66 million · 8.2%
  5. Singapore$18 million · 2.3%
    re-exports
  6. Togo$11 million · 1.4%
  7. Indonesia$7 million · 0.91%
  8. Denmark$7 million · 0.84%
  9. Spain$5 million · 0.58%
  10. Namibia$3 million · 0.35%
  11. Sri Lanka$2 million · 0.25%
  12. Ecuador$1 million · 0.14%
  13. Taiwan$938 thousand · 0.12%
  14. France$842 thousand · 0.1%
  15. South Korea$815 thousand · 0.1%
  16. United States$500 thousand · 0.06%
  17. Japan$480 thousand · 0.06%
  18. Uganda$446 thousand · 0.06%
  19. Niger$389 thousand · 0.05%
  20. Mexico$356 thousand · 0.04%

Trend

Who sells it

Japan has been the top exporter since 2023

Value in USD billions. The five largest exporters in 2024.

  • Japan 0.15
  • South Korea 0.11
  • Germany 0.09
  • Nigeria 0.08
  • China 0.06

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
Country19952024
Japan0.040.15
South Korea< 0.010.11
Germany0.040.09
Nigeria00.08
China< 0.010.06

Price

Implied price

The price per tonne rose 622% since 1995

Current US dollars per tonne: value over the weight reported by BACI.

  • 2024: $544

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearUSD per tonne
1995$75
1996$54
1997$193
1998$171
1999$126
2000$115
2001$125
2002$117
2003$117
2004$183
2005$185
2006$207
2007$284
2008$557
2009$808
2010$221
2011$350
2012$380
2013$378
2014$763
2015$291
2016$249
2017$314
2018$308
2019$2,681
2020$1,505
2021$891
2022$1,121
2023$1,869
2024$544

What it includes

  • 8908 · Ships for scrap

Products in the same chapter

Sources and methodology

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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