Global exports of paper and paperboard 2021, by country

Germany was the world's largest exporter of paper and paperboard in 2021, with shipments totaling 14.7 million metric tons. The United States and Sweden followed, with both countries exporting more than nine million metric tons each.

Paper export and import values

In 2021, the value of global paper exports totaled 183 billion U.S. dollars. Germany accounted for 12.5 percent of this total, with sales of 22.8 billion U.S. dollars. Meanwhile, the U.S accounted for the largest share of global paper imports value that year, at almost 10 percent.

Leading paper-producing countries

Although Germany is the largest paper and paperboard exporter worldwide, it ranks fourth in terms of production. Meanwhile, China has become the world’s largest-paper producing country by far, having overtaken the U.S. in the mid-2000s. In 2021, China produced roughly 125 million metric tons of paper and paperboard, almost twice as much as the U.S.