Belgium vs South Africa: Deforestation embedded in trade
Deforestation embedded in trade over time
- Belgium
- South Africa
How they compare
Belgium currently reports 7,434 hectares against 6,288 hectares in South Africa, a difference of 1,146 hectares.
That makes Belgium's figure about 1.2 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 19 shared years of data; in 2005 it was Belgium ahead.
Belgium ranks 26th and South Africa ranks 29th of 178 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, Belgium averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Belgium | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 14,834 hectares | 20,416 hectares | 5,582 hectares | South Africa |
| 2010s | 14,119 hectares | 27,539 hectares | 13,420 hectares | South Africa |
| 2020s | 9,594 hectares | 7,619 hectares | 1,975 hectares | Belgium |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher deforestation embedded in trade, Belgium or South Africa?
- Belgium, at 7,434 hectares against 6,288 hectares in South Africa as of 2023.
- What is the difference in deforestation embedded in trade between Belgium and South Africa?
- 1,146 hectares, with Belgium ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Belgium and South Africa?
- 19 years are reported by both, from 2005 to 2023.
- How do Belgium and South Africa rank globally for deforestation embedded in trade?
- Belgium ranks 26th and South Africa ranks 29th of 178 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Singh et al. (2026) β processed by Our World in Data, published as Deforestation embedded in trade. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Deforestation driven by imported goods minus exported goods from agriculture and forest plantations. Net importers of deforestation are countries who contribute to net deforestation in other countries β the deforestation that they cause in other countries is given as a positive value.