Commodity driven deforestation in Zambia
Zambia: Commodity driven deforestation was 168,811 in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
168,811
Change on year
up 19.0%
World rank
11th
of 187 countries
All-time high
168,811
in 2024
All-time low
22,582
in 2004
Years of data
24
2001–2024
Commodity driven deforestation in Zambia, 2001–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 168,811 for commodity driven deforestation in 2024. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
That represents a change of up 19.0% on the previous year and up 112.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, commodity driven deforestation in Zambia peaked at 168,811 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 22,582, in 2004.
Zambia ranks 11th of 187 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Commodity driven deforestation in Zambia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 23,847 | — |
| 2002 | 33,597 | +40.9% |
| 2003 | 31,413 | -6.5% |
| 2004 | 22,582 | -28.1% |
| 2005 | 43,000 | +90.4% |
| 2006 | 31,293 | -27.2% |
| 2007 | 37,837 | +20.9% |
| 2008 | 52,012 | +37.5% |
| 2009 | 97,245 | +87.0% |
| 2010 | 134,645 | +38.5% |
| 2011 | 51,213 | -62.0% |
| 2012 | 98,749 | +92.8% |
| 2013 | 52,558 | -46.8% |
| 2014 | 79,492 | +51.2% |
| 2015 | 59,956 | -24.6% |
| 2016 | 93,248 | +55.5% |
| 2017 | 115,360 | +23.7% |
| 2018 | 100,877 | -12.6% |
| 2019 | 85,090 | -15.6% |
| 2020 | 119,942 | +41.0% |
| 2021 | 156,080 | +30.1% |
| 2022 | 133,366 | -14.6% |
| 2023 | 141,849 | +6.4% |
| 2024 | 168,811 | +19.0% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 168,811 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1,953, 86.4× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 168,811 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3,723, 45.3× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 41,425 | 22,582 | 97,245 | 9 |
| 2010s | 87,119 | 51,213 | 134,645 | 10 |
| 2020s | 144,010 | 119,942 | 168,811 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More environment data for Zambia
- Grazing land use over the long-term, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0007 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per capita 0.9127 hectares per person (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -2.98 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -3.03 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.265 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.11 °C (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per square kilometre 26.9 hectares per square kilometre (2024)
- Sawnwood, coniferous — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is commodity driven deforestation in Zambia?
- Commodity driven deforestation in Zambia was 168,811 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest commodity driven deforestation recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 168,811 in 2024.
- What is the lowest commodity driven deforestation recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 22,582 in 2004.
- How does Zambia rank for commodity driven deforestation?
- Zambia ranks 11th out of 187 countries with data for 2024.
- Is commodity driven deforestation rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 112.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zambia 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).