Global production of paper and paperboard 1961-2022, by major country
China is currently the world's largest producer of paper and paperboard by far, with an output of more than 128 million metric tons in 2022. The second-largest producer that year was the United States.
China hasn't always been the top producer of paper products. Just 40 years ago, countries such as Finland, Sweden, and Germany were producing similar quantities of paper and paperboard products as China, with Japan and the United States producing significantly more each year. By 2005, production in China had soared due to rapid economic growth, but it still had a lower production output than the United States. China's production has almost doubled since then, while production in the U.S. has fallen by nearly 20 percent.
China hasn't always been the top producer of paper products. Just 40 years ago, countries such as Finland, Sweden, and Germany were producing similar quantities of paper and paperboard products as China, with Japan and the United States producing significantly more each year. By 2005, production in China had soared due to rapid economic growth, but it still had a lower production output than the United States. China's production has almost doubled since then, while production in the U.S. has fallen by nearly 20 percent.
