Consumption-based deforestation per person in Bhutan
Bhutan: Consumption-based deforestation per person was 18.42 square meters in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Consumption-based deforestation per person in Bhutan, 2005–2023
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in square meters.
Analysis
Bhutan recorded 18.42 square meters for consumption-based deforestation per person in 2023.
That represents a change of down 1.2% on the previous year and up 435.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, consumption-based deforestation per person in Bhutan peaked at 18.64 square meters in 2022 and was at its lowest, 1.8 square meters, in 2005.
Bhutan ranks 12th of 178 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Consumption-based deforestation per person in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | square meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 1.8 square meters | — |
| 2006 | 1.82 square meters | +1.1% |
| 2007 | 2.32 square meters | +27.5% |
| 2008 | 2.05 square meters | -11.7% |
| 2009 | 2.68 square meters | +30.5% |
| 2010 | 3.12 square meters | +16.4% |
| 2011 | 3.3 square meters | +5.9% |
| 2012 | 2.59 square meters | -21.5% |
| 2013 | 3.44 square meters | +32.8% |
| 2014 | 3.94 square meters | +14.5% |
| 2015 | 2.9 square meters | -26.4% |
| 2016 | 2.85 square meters | -1.8% |
| 2017 | 3.4 square meters | +19.2% |
| 2018 | 3.27 square meters | -3.9% |
| 2019 | 2.83 square meters | -13.2% |
| 2020 | 3.01 square meters | +6.2% |
| 2021 | 2.77 square meters | -8.1% |
| 2022 | 18.64 square meters | +573.9% |
| 2023 | 18.42 square meters | -1.2% |
Bhutan compared with similar countries
- Bhutan's 18.42 square meters is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.67 square meters, 6.9× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Bhutan's 18.42 square meters is above the median for South Asia, which is 1.21 square meters, 15.3× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Consumption-based deforestation per person in Bhutan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +573.9% | 2.77 square meters | 18.64 square meters |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2.14 square meters | 1.8 square meters | 2.68 square meters | 5 |
| 2010s | 3.16 square meters | 2.59 square meters | 3.94 square meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.71 square meters | 2.77 square meters | 18.64 square meters | 4 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
More environment data for Bhutan
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 0.2782 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 0.5977 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.257 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.08 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.487 % 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 -5.53 % 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 consumption-based deforestation per person in Bhutan?
- Consumption-based deforestation per person in Bhutan was 18.42 square meters in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest consumption-based deforestation per person recorded in Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 18.64 square meters in 2022.
- What is the lowest consumption-based deforestation per person recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.8 square meters in 2005.
- How does Bhutan rank for consumption-based deforestation per person?
- Bhutan ranks 12th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is consumption-based deforestation per person rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 435.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Bhutan data come from?
- The figures come from Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Consumption-based deforestation per person. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 19 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated average deforestation for agricultural and forestry products, per person. This is adjusted for trade, so it reflects deforestation caused by consumption, not domestic production.