Global production of paper and paperboard 1961-2021

The global production volume of paper and paperboard was approximately 417.3 million metric tons in 2021. This was an increase of over four percent in comparison to the previous year. Since 2010, global production of paper and paperboard has remained relatively stable, averaging roughly 400 million metric tons per year.

Global paper producing regions

China is the world’s largest paper producer by far, with a production output of 125 million metric tons in 2021. The United States ranked second that year, producing 67.5 million metric tons. China’s paper production far outweighs all other paper producers and, as a whole, Asia dominates regional global paper production, with a 49.5 percent share. While the adoption of technology has reduced the global consumption of certain types of paper such as newsprint, the overall consumption, and therefore production, of paper is growing. For example, packaging paper and board production has steadily increased in the past decade, while graphic paper production has steadily declined in that time.

End uses of paper

When broken down by grade, corrugated material accounts for the largest share of paper produced worldwide, at roughly 44 percent. Printing and writing paper is the second most produced paper grade, accounting for nearly 20 percent of the global production.