Ocean Pollution Facts: Statistics & Rankings (2025)

The ocean is a mysterious and vast environment which is home to thousands of biodiverse ecosystems, providing livelihoods to billions of people and supporting communities throughout the world. It helps reduce CO2 emissions, regulate global temperatures, and slow down the rate of global warming. But in recent years, ocean pollution has become a major concern, and it continues to grow. Through human activities such as over-consumption, the use of single plastics, poor recycling practices and waste management, we have slowly begun to destroy the ocean. Failing to protect our oceans will increase climate change, leading to devastating consequences for human life.

This is why it is essential to familiarise yourself with current facts about ocean pollution. By educating yourself on ocean pollution statistics, you can make conscious efforts to fight climate change and help reduce waste in our oceans. In this statistical overview, we will dive into the most up-to-date ocean pollution facts, highlighting the urgent need for action.

The ocean, covering two-thirds of our planet, not only sustains marine life but provides climate regulation and serves as a major driver of global economic growth. However, human activities have contributed to ocean pollution, putting at risk ecosystems, wildlife, human life and economies. By understanding ocean pollution facts and statistics, you can help reduce your own impact on the ocean and take vital steps in reducing this global crisis. 

As of 2025, there is currently an estimated 75 to 199 million tonnes of plastic and waste in our oceans. This number is set to increase if action is not taken, with 33 billion pounds of plastic entering the oceans every year. This shocking statistic leads many to believe that by 2050, the total amount of plastic in our oceans and waterways will outweigh all the fish in the sea.

Between 70 to 80% of plastic in the ocean comes from land-based sources. With littering, poorly managed waste facilities and overflowing landfills and bins being major contributors. These plastics are often carried by drainage systems, wind, rain and floods, with rivers playing a massive role in carrying plastic waste inland to the ocean.

According to the UN, an estimated 1,000 rivers are accountable for nearly 80% of riverine plastic emissions into the ocean every year. Currently, there are five garbage patches in our oceans: two in the Atlantic, two in the Pacific and one in the Indian Ocean. This poses a serious threat to marine life and ecosystems. 

By improving waste management systems and focusing heavily on better ways to recycle plastic, we can prevent the number of plastic and trash from increasing exponentially each year.

The biggest cause of ocean pollution is non-point sourcing, which is when rainfall or snowmelt moves across the ground, picking up pollutants along the way and eventually depositing them into rivers, lakes, coastal waters and groundwater. The pollutants are from a number of sources, such as:

Plastic waste is another huge contributor to ocean pollution and contributes to about 80% of marine debris, according to IUCN, which can be caused by non-point sourcing, where rainwater or snowmelt washes away plastic from overflowing landfills and bins. However, unintentional or intentional dumping also contributes to plastic waste in our oceans. 

Light pollution affects 22% of the world’s coastlines. Artificial lighting disrupts marine ecosystems, particularly plankton and coral systems, which rely on natural light cues for spawning and migration. Disruptions to these processes can lead to food chain collapses and habitat loss, according to the University of Plymouth.

Noise pollution from shipping, deep-sea mining, military activities and offshore windfarms can have a devastating effect on marine life which relies heavily on noise to communicate and interact with their world. Noise pollution in our oceans can affect the hearing and stress levels of marine life, disrupt breeding habits, and interfere with communication. 

The Pacific Ocean is considered the most polluted ocean, with an estimated 234.80 million pounds of plastic found. Due to vast amounts of pollution in this ocean, the Great Barrier Reef and other coral systems are affected by coral bleaching, which threatens marine life and their habitats. The Ecological Monographs journal has stated that coral bleaching is increasing between 19% to 38% each year, preventing these fragile ecosystems from recovering. 

It is home to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the largest one in the world, comprising mostly of fishing waste and plastic. While this visible waste shows just how polluted this ocean is, research states that 70% of marine debris is actually beneath the surface with a recent expedition of the Mariana Trench, the ocean’s deepest point, finding a plastic bag. A 2022 study found that almost half of marine life in the Pacific Ocean consumes plastic. Additionally, the Pacific has the highest volume of overfishing in the world, both legally and illegally, having devastating effects on marine habitats and aquatic populations.

The Indian Ocean is the second most polluted ocean in the world despite its vast biodiversity and support of multiple communities who rely on the ocean for their livelihoods. According to Greenpeace, the Indian Ocean is termed a global hotspot for marine diversity.

Countries such as Indonesia, Thailand and India, which are considered the highest ocean plastic polluters in 2025, all have access to this ocean, which contributes to its high levels of pollution. As a result, an estimated 11 million tonnes of plastic is dumped into this ocean each year. Additionally, the Indian Ocean has a drainage system of the biggest polluted rivers in the world, the Ganges and the Indus. On top of plastic waste concerns, the Indian Ocean accounts for 40% of the world’s offshore oil production. While oil spills have decreased in recent years, they still occur, causing devastating impacts on marine life. 

The Atlantic Ocean is the third most polluted ocean in the world. With access to major rivers, such as the Amazon, Mississippi and the Congo, this ocean is more susceptible to in land plastic being carried by the rivers into the ocean. This ocean contains two major garbage patches, both in the North and South. Research has shown that there is at least 10 times more plastic polluting this ocean than originally thought. An additional study sampled 200m of the Atlantic's surface and found 7,000 microplastics per cubic metre. 

Our oceans play a vital role in climate regulation, the global economy, and sustaining diverse life. They absorb 30% of atmospheric CO2, acting as a crucial buffer. Phytoplankton within them produce 50% of the world’s oxygen. Over 90% of global trade relies on sea routes, supporting millions of jobs, while more than 3 billion people depend on the ocean for their livelihoods. Understanding ocean pollution statistics is essential for taking meaningful action to combat and reduce pollution.

The highest ocean plastic waste polluters in 2025 primarily stem from countries in Asia, inputting a shocking 81% of the plastic waste into the ocean. Asia covers 30% of the world’s landmass and consists of 48 countries in total. Here are the top ten highest ocean plastic waste polluters in 2025 per country:

So why do these countries produce so much ocean pollution, and is there any way to address these issues to help reduce ocean pollution? By understanding the factors behind top ocean polluters, we can work on fixing the problems worldwide:

Ocean pollution continues to grow and has devastating consequences for marine life, ecosystems, humans and society as a whole. From microplastics in our bodies to declining fish populations, the effects of ocean pollution extend far beyond the ocean. Understanding ocean pollution impact facts is crucial for taking action to protect our planet and future generations. Below, we explore how ocean pollution affects humans and society.

Understanding facts about pollution in the ocean is essential to encourage productive change but can feel overwhelming and even hopeless at times. Luckily, there are some great efforts being made throughout the world to combat ocean pollution in 2025. Here is a look at the current efforts to help combat ocean pollution and their associated costs.

The Ocean Cleanup is a non-profit organisation based in the Netherlands hoping to tackle ocean pollution on a large scale. Their main goal is to intercept plastic in rivers to prevent a further influx of plastic entering the ocean and to also remove waste that is currently found in our oceans. Their ambitious goal is to clean up 90% of floating plastic by 2040. The Ocean Cleanup has created an advanced U-shaped barrier that is cast into areas with a high density of plastic in the ocean. This barrier pulls the plastic together which is then collected. As a result of this technology, The Ocean Cleanup confirmed that they removed 11.5 million kilos of trash from rivers and oceans.

The Ocean Cleanup’s main goal is to reduce the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the largest one in the world, and estimated that it would cost $7.5 billion (£5.95 billion) to do so. Although this seems like a high number to ordinary people, if governments collectively contribute, this could be made possible. 

The Seabin project’s goal is to help remove plastic, oil and other pollutants from marinas, harbours and other waterways. They use their own specialised device, the “Seabin”, which works as a fish tank-like filtration device to remove debris and clean the waterways. As of 2023, the Seabin Project confirmed that they have removed 4.7 million plastic items, including 2.3 million microplastics.

The cost to run one Seabin, based on its electricity usage, is around $3.70 (£2.94) per day, with a yearly total of $1,332. They aim to have deployed their technology in over 100 countries by 2050.

Kimo, a multinational organisation comprised of several European countries, is making headway in removing waste from the ocean by creating “Fishing for litter”. Members of Kimo provide fishing men with large bags to collect any plastic and waste they encounter during fishing. This comes at almost no cost as the fishermen are deemed as "volunteers". Not only does it help remove waste but increases awareness in the fishing community.

Not only are NGOs and individuals making headway in reducing ocean pollution, but governments throughout the world are beginning to make a conscious effort in creating policies to ensure the limitation of pollution moving into the future. Here are some efforts created by EU governments:

We rely on the ocean more than we realise, but climate change, overconsumption, and poor waste management have led to its slow destruction. Although it is easier and more comfortable to ignore these problems, ocean pollution is still there, threatening marine life, ecosystems, and, ultimately, human survival.

This may all seem hopeless, but the most important step in taking action is understanding ocean pollution statistics. By educating yourself on what’s going on, you can make informed decisions to reduce your impact on the ocean. All hope is not lost. Non-profit organisations are making huge efforts to remove floating plastic, scientists are developing new technologies to reduce plastic and microplastic pollution, and governments are ensuring stricter bans and signing international environmental treaties. We must face this problem head on instead of sticking our heads in the sand. Direct action is the only solution.

Fighting for the ocean means fighting for our future. By making more conscious choices around recycling, reducing plastic waste, choosing biodegradable products and supporting ocean conservation initiatives, you can help protect marine ecosystems and the communities that depend on them.