Ethiopia vs South Africa: Drivers of deforestation
Ethiopia
3,549 hectares
in 2023
South Africa
3,036 hectares
in 2023
Ethiopia rank
36th
South Africa rank
39th
Drivers of deforestation over time
- Ethiopia
- South Africa
How they compare
Ethiopia currently reports 3,549 hectares against 3,036 hectares in South Africa, a difference of 513 hectares.
That makes Ethiopia's figure about 1.2 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 23 shared years of data; in 2001 it was South Africa ahead.
Ethiopia ranks 36th and South Africa ranks 39th of 166 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Ethiopia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 172.48 hectares | 4,630 hectares | 4,458 hectares | South Africa |
| 2010s | 299.81 hectares | 5,000 hectares | 4,701 hectares | South Africa |
| 2020s | 2,316 hectares | 4,439 hectares | 2,123 hectares | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher drivers of deforestation, Ethiopia or South Africa?
- Ethiopia, at 3,549 hectares against 3,036 hectares in South Africa as of 2023.
- What is the difference in drivers of deforestation between Ethiopia and South Africa?
- 513 hectares, with Ethiopia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Ethiopia and South Africa?
- 23 years are reported by both, from 2001 to 2023.
- How do Ethiopia and South Africa rank globally for drivers of deforestation?
- Ethiopia ranks 36th and South Africa ranks 39th of 166 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Singh et al. (2026) β 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.