Agriculture-driven deforestation in South Africa
South Africa: Agriculture-driven deforestation was 3,723 hectares in 2024. ▲ Rising
Agriculture-driven deforestation in South Africa, 2001–2024
Source: Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 3,723 hectares for agriculture-driven deforestation in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.7% on the previous year and down 53.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agriculture-driven deforestation in South Africa peaked at 9,896 hectares in 2017 and was at its lowest, 3,723 hectares, in 2024.
That places South Africa 57th out of 187 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5,912 hectares | 3,806 hectares | 8,127 hectares | 9 |
| 2010s | 6,771 hectares | 4,199 hectares | 9,896 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 5,238 hectares | 3,723 hectares | 7,590 hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More environment data for South Africa
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 569.81 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 8.9 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 25.85 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 1.31 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 40 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.1686 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 93.23 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.055 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.1946 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 25.44 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agriculture-driven deforestation in South Africa?
- Agriculture-driven deforestation in South Africa was 3,723 hectares in 2024, according to Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest agriculture-driven deforestation recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 9,896 hectares in 2017.
- What is the lowest agriculture-driven deforestation recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 3,723 hectares in 2024.
- How does South Africa rank for agriculture-driven deforestation?
- South Africa ranks 57th out of 187 countries with data for 2024.
- Is agriculture-driven deforestation rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 53.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Agriculture-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).
About this data
Long-term, permanent tree cover loss for small- to large-scale agriculture.