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.
Agriculture-driven deforestation in South Africa, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 5,394 hectares | — |
| 2002 | 3,806 hectares | -29.4% |
| 2003 | 5,346 hectares | +40.5% |
| 2004 | 8,127 hectares | +52.0% |
| 2005 | 5,689 hectares | -30.0% |
| 2006 | 7,274 hectares | +27.9% |
| 2007 | 6,219 hectares | -14.5% |
| 2008 | 6,052 hectares | -2.7% |
| 2009 | 5,297 hectares | -12.5% |
| 2010 | 4,199 hectares | -20.7% |
| 2011 | 5,133 hectares | +22.2% |
| 2012 | 4,780 hectares | -6.9% |
| 2013 | 6,038 hectares | +26.3% |
| 2014 | 8,075 hectares | +33.7% |
| 2015 | 6,557 hectares | -18.8% |
| 2016 | 8,525 hectares | +30.0% |
| 2017 | 9,896 hectares | +16.1% |
| 2018 | 8,005 hectares | -19.1% |
| 2019 | 6,507 hectares | -18.7% |
| 2020 | 7,590 hectares | +16.7% |
| 2021 | 6,233 hectares | -17.9% |
| 2022 | 4,565 hectares | -26.8% |
| 2023 | 4,079 hectares | -10.7% |
| 2024 | 3,723 hectares | -8.7% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 3,723 hectares is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 460.26 hectares, 8.1× the median. (51 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 3,723 hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3,723 hectares, 1.0× the median. (45 countries reporting)
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
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 5.46 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 8.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.275 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.05 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.59 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate 0.2953 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (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.