The table compares the amount of waste produced in six countries between 1980 and 2000, measured in millions of tonnes.
Overall, waste generation increased in nearly all nations over the two decades, with the United States remaining by far the largest contributor, while Korea was the only country to record a decline by 2000.
In 1980, the US created an overwhelming 131 million tonnes of waste, far exceeding all others. This figure rose steadily to 192 million tonnes in 2000. Japan, the second-highest producer, also experienced a continual rise from 28 to 53 million tonnes. Although the figures for these two nations grew considerably, the gap between them remained substantial, with the former producing roughly four times more than the latter by the end of the period.
By contrast, the remaining countries generated much smaller amounts of waste. Ireland, Poland, and Portugal all saw gradual increases, with Ireland’s figure rising sharply from 0.6 to 5 million tonnes. Korea, however, followed a different trend: after recording 31 million tonnes in 1990, the amount fell significantly to just 19 million in 2000.