This report provides an analysis of paper production across five different countries from 2001 to 2017.
Overall, the majority of the countries listed saw an increase in production over the sixteen year period. The USA remained the dominant producer throughout the timeframe, despite a late decline, while Norway was the only nation to experience a significant and consistent drop in output.
In 2001, the USA began with the highest production at approximately 230 million tonnes. This figure rose steadily to a peak of about 330 million tonnes in 2013, before dropping back to 300 million by 2017. Malaysia and Thailand also saw notable increases. Malaysia started at roughly 110 million tonnes, overtaking all other countries except the USA. Meanwhile, Thailand’s output grew from 150 million tonnes in 2001 to a stable plateau of 200 million tonnes from 2009 onwards.
In contrast, Norway started the period as the second-highest producer at nearly 190 million tonnes, but it suffered a continuous decline, plummeting to just under 100 million tonnes by 2017. This resulted in Norway being surpassed by both Malaysia and Thailand. Spain remained the smallest producer for the duration of the study; however, it did see a gradual rise from approximately 75 million tonnes in 2001 to roughly 125 million tonnes by the end of the period, eventually overtaking Norway’s falling figures in the final years.