Great Pacific Garbage Patch Size in Square Kilometers
CURRENT TOTAL
Live Counter Notable Facts
(Data shown in the table is for 2025. Counter shows current estimate)
Current Size
Plastic Mass
Growth Rate
Understanding Great Pacific Garbage Patch Size in Square Kilometers
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is the largest accumulation of ocean plastic in the world, located between Hawaii and California. Covering an estimated 1.6 million square kilometers, it's roughly twice the size of Texas or three times the size of France.
This massive collection of marine debris consists of approximately 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic weighing 100,000 tonnes - equivalent to 740 Boeing 777 aircraft. The patch is not a solid island but rather a dispersed soup of microplastics with larger debris interspersed throughout.
Discovered in 1997 by Captain Charles Moore, the patch has grown exponentially. Research shows microplastic concentrations have increased by 10 times every decade since the 1970s, with 46% of the mass consisting of abandoned fishing nets that continue to trap and kill marine life.
Great Pacific Garbage Patch Overview
- The patch is bound by the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, a system of rotating ocean currents that trap debris in a relatively stationary area. This natural phenomenon acts like a conveyor belt, continuously drawing in plastic waste from across the Pacific Rim.
- Contrary to popular belief, the patch cannot be seen from space or even by casual observers. It consists primarily of microplastics suspended just below the surface, creating a cloudy soup that's virtually invisible but deadly to marine ecosystems.
- Recent discoveries show the patch has become a unique ecosystem where coastal species are surviving and reproducing on plastic debris thousands of miles from shore, creating unprecedented 'neopelagic communities' that may disrupt ocean food webs.
- The Ocean Cleanup project estimates that passive cleanup systems could remove 50% of the patch within 5 years, but without addressing the source of plastic pollution, the patch will continue to accumulate an estimated 1-2 million tonnes of new plastic annually.
Ocean Plastic Terminology
- Gyre: Large system of rotating ocean currents that trap floating debris in relatively stationary areas
- Microplastics: Plastic pieces smaller than 5mm that comprise 94% of plastic pieces in the patch but only 8% of its mass
- Ghost Nets: Abandoned fishing gear that makes up 46% of the patch's mass and continues to entangle marine life
- Neuston: The ecosystem at the ocean's surface where plastic accumulates and interacts with marine organisms
Patch Composition by Size
- Microplastics (0.05-0.5 cm): 1.7 trillion pieces
- Mesoplastics (0.5-5 cm): 56 billion pieces
- Macroplastics (5-50 cm): 821 million pieces
- Megaplastics (>50 cm): 40,000+ items
- Fishing Nets: 46% of total mass
- Density: 10-100 kg per square kilometer
Sources of Pacific Plastic
- Asia-Pacific Region: 85% of plastic inputs
- Fishing Industry: 20% of ocean plastic
- North America: 10% of plastic inputs
- Yangtze River: 1.5 million tonnes annually
- Land-Based Sources: 80% of ocean plastic
- Maritime Sources: 20% of ocean plastic
Environmental Impacts
- Species Affected: 817 marine species impacted
- Toxic Concentration: Plastics absorb pollutants at 1 million times water levels
- Food Chain: Microplastics found in 114 marine species consumed by humans
- Carbon Footprint: Plastic production and incineration add 1.8 billion tonnes CO2
- Economic Cost: $13 billion annual damage to marine ecosystems
- Cleanup Challenge: Would require 67 ships working for 1 year to clean
Data Sources and References
Methodology and Data Collection
Size estimates are based on The Ocean Cleanup's 2018 comprehensive study using 30 vessels, 652 surface nets, and aerial surveys covering 311,000 square kilometers, representing the most extensive analysis of the patch to date.
The counter displays the estimated current size of 1.6 million square kilometers, though the patch's boundaries are dynamic and influenced by seasonal variations in ocean currents, with the densest concentrations found at the center.