Commodity driven deforestation in Australia
Australia: Commodity driven deforestation was 4,652 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Commodity driven deforestation in Australia, 2001–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for commodity driven deforestation in Australia is 4,652, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.1% on the previous year and down 67.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, commodity driven deforestation in Australia peaked at 17,006 in 2003 and was at its lowest, 4,652, in 2024.
Australia ranks 53rd of 187 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Commodity driven deforestation in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 8,141 | — |
| 2002 | 11,719 | +43.9% |
| 2003 | 17,006 | +45.1% |
| 2004 | 14,450 | -15.0% |
| 2005 | 13,446 | -6.9% |
| 2006 | 15,154 | +12.7% |
| 2007 | 15,890 | +4.9% |
| 2008 | 12,802 | -19.4% |
| 2009 | 13,852 | +8.2% |
| 2010 | 8,936 | -35.5% |
| 2011 | 9,330 | +4.4% |
| 2012 | 10,697 | +14.7% |
| 2013 | 7,938 | -25.8% |
| 2014 | 14,276 | +79.9% |
| 2015 | 8,941 | -37.4% |
| 2016 | 15,538 | +73.8% |
| 2017 | 11,414 | -26.5% |
| 2018 | 8,932 | -21.7% |
| 2019 | 12,096 | +35.4% |
| 2020 | 8,021 | -33.7% |
| 2021 | 6,114 | -23.8% |
| 2022 | 5,129 | -16.1% |
| 2023 | 5,064 | -1.3% |
| 2024 | 4,652 | -8.1% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 4,652 is above the median for high income countries, which is 66.13, 70.3× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Australia's 4,652 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1,101, 4.2× the median. (24 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 13,607 | 8,141 | 17,006 | 9 |
| 2010s | 10,810 | 7,938 | 15,538 | 10 |
| 2020s | 5,796 | 4,652 | 8,021 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More environment data for Australia
- Grazing land use over the long-term, annual growth rate 0.2163 % change on previous year (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0002 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per capita 11.54 hectares per person (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -4.75 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -5.98 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.345 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.4 °C (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per square kilometre 41.36 hectares per square kilometre (2024)
- Sawnwood, coniferous — Production, annual growth rate -5.11 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is commodity driven deforestation in Australia?
- Commodity driven deforestation in Australia was 4,652 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest commodity driven deforestation recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 17,006 in 2003.
- What is the lowest commodity driven deforestation recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 4,652 in 2024.
- How does Australia rank for commodity driven deforestation?
- Australia ranks 53rd out of 187 countries with data for 2024.
- Is commodity driven deforestation rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 67.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Commodity driven deforestation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).