Canada vs South Africa: Drivers of deforestation
Canada
3,237 hectares
in 2023
South Africa
3,036 hectares
in 2023
Canada rank
37th
South Africa rank
39th
Drivers of deforestation over time
- Canada
- South Africa
How they compare
Canada currently reports 3,237 hectares against 3,036 hectares in South Africa, a difference of 201 hectares.
That makes Canada's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 15 shared years of data; in 2001 it was Canada ahead.
Canada ranks 37th and South Africa ranks 39th of 166 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, Canada averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Canada | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 11,719 hectares | 4,618 hectares | 7,101 hectares | Canada |
| 2010s | 6,015 hectares | 6,370 hectares | 354.64 hectares | South Africa |
| 2020s | 5,881 hectares | 4,439 hectares | 1,443 hectares | Canada |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher drivers of deforestation, Canada or South Africa?
- Canada, at 3,237 hectares against 3,036 hectares in South Africa as of 2023.
- What is the difference in drivers of deforestation between Canada and South Africa?
- 201 hectares, with Canada ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and South Africa?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 2001 to 2023.
- How do Canada and South Africa rank globally for drivers of deforestation?
- Canada ranks 37th and South Africa ranks 39th of 166 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Drivers of deforestation. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Estimates of commodity-driven deforestation, measured in hectares per year. This includes deforestation caused by the production of agricultural products and forestry, which account for approximately 90% of the world's deforestation.