China vs India: Imported deforestation
China
231,151 hectares
in 2023
India
55,698 hectares
in 2023
China rank
1st
India rank
3rd
Imported deforestation over time
- China
- India
How they compare
China currently reports 231,151 hectares against 55,698 hectares in India, a difference of 175,453 hectares.
That makes China's figure about 4.2 times India's.
Across all 19 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.
China ranks 1st and India ranks 3rd of 178 countries.
China has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 191,935 hectares | 92,628 hectares | 99,307 hectares | China |
| 2010s | 339,793 hectares | 108,496 hectares | 231,298 hectares | China |
| 2020s | 273,247 hectares | 71,909 hectares | 201,338 hectares | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher imported deforestation, China or India?
- China, at 231,151 hectares against 55,698 hectares in India as of 2023.
- What is the difference in imported deforestation between China and India?
- 175,453 hectares, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and India?
- 19 years are reported by both, from 2005 to 2023.
- How do China and India rank globally for imported deforestation?
- China ranks 1st and India ranks 3rd of 178 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Imported deforestation. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Imported deforestation is the amount of deforestation in other countries that is driven by the production of food and forestry products that are imported. This is measured in hectares.