The pulp and paper industry comprises companies that use wood as raw material and produce pulp, paper, board and other cellulose-based products.

The industry is dominated by North American (United States and Canada), northern European (Finland, Sweden, and North-West Russia) and East Asian countries (such as China, Japan, and South Korea). Australasia and Brazil also have significant pulp and paper enterprises.

The industry is criticized by environmental groups like the Natural Resources Defense Council for unsustainable deforestation and clearcutting of old-growth forest. The industry trend is to expand globally to countries like Russia, China and Indonesia with low wages and low environmental oversight. According to Greenpeace, farmers in Central America illegally rip up vast tracts of native forest for cattle and soybean production without any consequences and companies who buy timber from private land owners contribute to massive deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest.

According to statistic data by RISI, main producing countries of paper and paperboard, not including pulp, in the world are as follows :