Colombia vs South Africa: Imported deforestation

Colombia
7,252 hectares
in 2023
South Africa
6,859 hectares
in 2023
Colombia rank
38th
South Africa rank
40th

Imported deforestation over time

  • Colombia
  • South Africa
10.0k20.0k30.0k40.0k200520142023

How they compare

Colombia currently reports 7,252 hectares against 6,859 hectares in South Africa, a difference of 393 hectares.

That makes Colombia's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 19 shared years of data; in 2005 it was South Africa ahead.

Colombia ranks 38th and South Africa ranks 40th of 178 countries.

South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Colombia South Africa Difference Ahead
2000s 16,576 hectares 20,948 hectares 4,372 hectares South Africa
2010s 14,822 hectares 28,383 hectares 13,560 hectares South Africa
2020s 8,118 hectares 8,358 hectares 239.87 hectares South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher imported deforestation, Colombia or South Africa?
Colombia, at 7,252 hectares against 6,859 hectares in South Africa as of 2023.
What is the difference in imported deforestation between Colombia and South Africa?
393 hectares, with Colombia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Colombia and South Africa?
19 years are reported by both, from 2005 to 2023.
How do Colombia and South Africa rank globally for imported deforestation?
Colombia ranks 38th and South Africa ranks 40th 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

Indicator
Imported deforestation
Unit
hectares
Source
Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
178 places, 3,320 data points, 2005–2023
Last refreshed

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.