Global production of paper and paperboard 1961-2022, by major country
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.