Packaging printing spans labels, cartons, corrugated products and other printed formats. The available figures combine commercial market estimates, company filings and official European waste data, so each measure needs its stated geography, period and definition.
Key Packaging Printing Statistics
The most broadly useful packaging printing statistics include:
- In 2024, the global printed labels and packaging market was valued at $517.9 billion.
- In 2024, global printed labels and packaging output reached 14.3 trillion A4 equivalents.
- By 2029, global package-print value is forecast to reach $618.2 billion at 2023 constant prices.
- By 2029, package-print output is forecast to reach 17.1 trillion A4 equivalents globally.
- From 2024 through 2029, package-print value is forecast to grow at a 3.6% compound annual rate globally.
- In 2024, Asia, Western Europe and North America represented 81.5% of global package-print output value.
- In 2024, the global package-print market consumed an estimated 1.54 million metric tonnes of ink.
- In 2023, digital printing represented 3.8% of global print output measured in A4 equivalents.
- From 2023 to 2028, packaging and labels printing is forecast to grow at a 2.9% CAGR globally.
- In 2024, the global corrugated-packaging market was valued at $231.7 billion.
- By 2029, global corrugated-packaging volume is forecast to reach 190 million tonnes.
- In 2024, food products accounted for more than 46% of corrugated-packaging consumption globally.
- In 2024, Packaging Corporation of America reported $7,690.9 million in packaging revenue.
- In 2024, Ranpak reported $368.9 million in net revenue across its product lines.
- In 2022, the European Union generated 83.4 million tonnes of packaging waste.
- In 2022, paper and cardboard represented 41% of EU packaging waste.
- In 2022, the EU recycled 41% of plastic packaging waste.
- In 2022, Germany’s overall packaging-waste recycling rate was 69%.
Contents
- Global packaging printing market size and output
- Packaging printing by material, process and geography
- Digital packaging printing data and equipment economics
- Corrugated packaging printing and end-use demand
- Packaging printing revenue and operating results
- Packaging waste, recycling and sustainability data
Global Packaging Printing Market Size and Output
Smithers estimates the global printed labels and packaging market at $517.9 billion in 2024. Its output measure was 14.3 trillion A4 equivalents, a standardized print-area equivalent rather than a count of physical packages.
The same Smithers market model forecasts package-print value of $618.2 billion by 2029, measured at 2023 constant prices. Package-print output is forecast at 17.1 trillion A4 equivalents in 2029.
| Measure | 2024 estimate | 2029 forecast | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Package-print value | $517.9 billion | $618.2 billion | Global printed labels and packaging; 2029 at constant prices |
| Package-print output | 14.3 trillion A4 equivalents | 17.1 trillion A4 equivalents | Global package printing |
Smithers projects a 3.6% CAGR for both value and volume from 2024 to 2029. Volume remains an equivalent-output measure, so the forecast does not mean 17.1 trillion individual packages.
For broader context, Smithers estimated the entire global print market at $910.8 billion in 2023, with 44.67 trillion A4 prints. That wider market is forecast at $988.6 billion in 2028 at constant prices, and it includes non-packaging work.
Source: Packaging and labels to power future expansion in world print, Smithers data show
Packaging Printing by Material, Process and Geography
The 2024 package-print market was concentrated geographically. Asia, Western Europe and North America together accounted for 81.5% of global output value and 82.0% of global output volume, with volume measured in A4 equivalents.
Smithers-derived market monitoring places 2024 package-print production at 14.31 trillion A4 print equivalents, a more precise figure than the rounded 14.3 trillion summary. The market consumed an estimated 1.54 million metric tonnes of ink across its process mix.
| Geographic group or measure | 2024 result | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Asia, Western Europe and North America | 81.5% of value | Share of global package-print output value |
| Asia, Western Europe and North America | 82.0% of volume | Share of global package-print output volume |
| Global package printing | 1.54 million tonnes of ink | Estimated ink consumption |
China’s broader print market is forecast to add $44.79 billion in print value between 2023 and 2028. This is not a packaging-only result, but it indicates why national print-market comparisons should not be treated as direct packaging shares.
In Smithers’ 2014–2024 comparison, the fastest-growing national print markets included seven Asian countries. The count describes the broader print market, not a packaging-specific adoption rate.
Source: Packaging and labels to power future expansion in world print, Smithers data show
Source: Digital and packaging to power growth in global print
Source: Converting Quarterly 2025: Market Monitor
Digital Packaging Printing Data and Equipment Economics
Digital printing’s footprint differs depending on whether it is measured by output or revenue. In the broader global print market, digital printing represented 3.8% of output in 2023, measured in A4 equivalents, but 16.3% of revenue.
| Digital-print measure | 2023 result | Scope and unit |
|---|---|---|
| Share of output | 3.8% | Global print output, A4 equivalents |
| Share of revenue | 16.3% | Global print revenue |
| Packaging and labels growth | 2.9% CAGR forecast | Global, 2023–2028 |
Smithers forecasts packaging and labels printing to grow at 2.9% annually from 2023 to 2028. An adjacent category, industrial and decorative printing, is forecast to grow 7.0% year over year through 2024, but that measure is not packaging-only.
The equipment picture is broader than packaging presses. Global print-equipment sales were $16.80 billion in 2023, compared with $19.20 billion in 2018, and are forecast to decline at a 0.5% CAGR through 2028.
These figures show why digital share should not be read as a single packaging adoption rate: the revenue and output denominators cover the wider print market, while the packaging-and-labels forecast isolates a segment.
Source: Digital and packaging to power growth in global print
Corrugated Packaging Printing and End-Use Demand
Smithers valued the global corrugated-packaging market at $231.7 billion in 2024. Its forecast reaches $277.6 billion by 2029 at constant prices, while volume is forecast to reach 190 million tonnes.
| Corrugated measure | 2024 | 2029 forecast or growth |
|---|---|---|
| Market value | $231.7 billion | $277.6 billion at constant prices |
| Market volume | Not stated as a 2024 total here | 190 million tonnes |
| Value growth | — | 3.7% average annual rate, 2024–2029 |
| Volume growth | — | 2.5% average annual rate, 2024–2029 |
Food products accounted for more than 46% of corrugated-packaging consumption in 2024. In the cited category, food includes packaging and transportation applications, so this share should not be interpreted as a printing-only end use.
The Smithers analysis profiles 13 end-use sectors for corrugated-packaging demand. That is a scope count describing the market analysis, not a claim that each sector has an equal share.
Source: PaperAge Summer 2024: Market Insight
Packaging Printing Revenue and Operating Results
Company filings provide operating examples rather than a global market total. Packaging Corporation of America reported $7,690.9 million of packaging revenue in fiscal 2024, up from $7,135.6 million in 2023, and reported $1,598 million of packaging EBITDA excluding special items in 2024.
| Company measure | 2024 result | Comparison or definition |
|---|---|---|
| Packaging Corporation of America packaging revenue | $7,690.9 million | Fiscal year |
| Packaging Corporation of America packaging revenue | $7,135.6 million | Fiscal year 2023 |
| Packaging Corporation of America packaging revenue change | 7.8% increase | 2024 versus 2023 |
| Packaging Corporation of America packaging EBITDA | $1,598 million | 2024, excluding special items |
The company also reported 16.1% growth in outside containerboard shipments, 10.5% growth in total corrugated-product shipments, and 10.1% growth per workday in corrugated-product shipments in 2024. These are company shipment measures, not global printed-packaging output.
Ranpak reported $368.9 million of 2024 net revenue across cushioning, void-fill, wrapping and other product lines, a 9.7% increase from 2023. Its North America net revenue was $163.2 million, up 18.9% in 2024; these are adjacent packaging-protection products rather than printing revenue.
Source: Packaging Corporation of America 2024 Form 10-K
Source: Ranpak Holdings Corp. 2024 Form 10-K
Packaging Waste, Recycling and Sustainability Data
Eurostat reported 83.4 million tonnes of packaging waste in the EU in 2022, equal to 186.5 kilograms per inhabitant. The per-person figure was 3.6 kilograms lower than in 2021 but 31.7 kilograms higher than in 2012.
| EU packaging-waste measure | 2022 result | Population or definition |
|---|---|---|
| Total packaging waste | 83.4 million tonnes | European Union, all packaging materials |
| Waste per inhabitant | 186.5 kg | European Union |
| Paper and cardboard share | 41% | Share of EU packaging waste |
| Plastic share | 19% | Share of EU packaging waste |
| Glass share | 19% | Share of EU packaging waste |
| Wood share | 16% | Share of EU packaging waste |
| Metal share | 5% | Share of EU packaging waste |
Plastic packaging waste generation averaged 36.1 kilograms per EU inhabitant in 2022, while recycled plastic packaging averaged 14.7 kilograms per inhabitant. Plastic packaging recycling was 41% in 2022, compared with 38% in 2012; generation increased by 7.6 kilograms per inhabitant over that decade, while recycled plastic increased by 4.0 kilograms.
The data covers all packaging waste, not printed packaging alone. Eurostat also notes methodological and reporting changes in the series from 2019 onward, so long-run comparisons should not be treated as perfectly continuous.
Germany’s overall packaging-waste recycling rate was 69% in 2022, according to the Eurostat country profile. That rate covers all packaging materials and follows Eurostat reporting rules, rather than measuring printed packaging specifically.
Sources: 41% of plastic packaging waste recycled in 2022 and Packaging waste statistics