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Data

Rivers that contribute the most to ocean plastic pollution

About this data

Source
Meijer et al. (2021) – processed by Our World in Data
Last updated
April 30, 2021
Date range
2019–2019
Unit
%

Sources and processing

This data is based on the following sources

Meijer et al. – More than 1000 rivers account for 80% of global riverine plastic emissions into the ocean

Retrieved on
April 30, 2021
Retrieved from
https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/7/18/eaaz5803
Citation
This is the citation of the original data obtained from the source, prior to any processing or adaptation by Our World in Data. To cite data downloaded from this page, please use the suggested citation given in Reuse This Work below.
Meijer et al. (2021). More than 1000 rivers account for 80% of global riverine plastic emissions into the ocean. Science Advances.
Retrieved on
April 30, 2021
Retrieved from
https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/7/18/eaaz5803
Citation
This is the citation of the original data obtained from the source, prior to any processing or adaptation by Our World in Data. To cite data downloaded from this page, please use the suggested citation given in Reuse This Work below.
Meijer et al. (2021). More than 1000 rivers account for 80% of global riverine plastic emissions into the ocean. Science Advances.

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Citations

How to cite this page

To cite this page overall, including any descriptions, FAQs or explanations of the data authored by Our World in Data, please use the following citation:

“Data Page: Rivers that contribute the most to ocean plastic pollution”. Our World in Data (2026). Data adapted from Meijer et al.. Retrieved from https://archive.ourworldindata.org/20260511-092124/grapher/plastics-top-rivers.html [online resource] (archived on May 11, 2026).

How to cite this data

In-line citationIf you have limited space (e.g. in data visualizations), you can use this abbreviated in-line citation:

Meijer et al. (2021) – processed by Our World in Data

Full citation

Meijer et al. (2021) – processed by Our World in Data. “Rivers that contribute the most to ocean plastic pollution” [dataset]. Meijer et al., “More than 1000 rivers account for 80% of global riverine plastic emissions into the ocean” [original data]. Retrieved May 11, 2026 from https://archive.ourworldindata.org/20260511-092124/grapher/plastics-top-rivers.html (archived on May 11, 2026).

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