Consumption-based deforestation per person in Malawi

Malawi: Consumption-based deforestation per person was 3.65 square meters in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
3.65 square meters
Change on year
down 13.2%
World rank
93rd
of 178 countries
All-time high
7.16 square meters
in 2020
All-time low
2.58 square meters
in 2013
Years of data
19
2005–2023

Consumption-based deforestation per person in Malawi, 2005–2023

024682005201420232005: 4.2 square meters2006: 4.4 square meters2007: 4.3 square meters2008: 4.7 square meters2009: 4.4 square meters2010: 3.6 square meters2011: 3.5 square meters2012: 3.2 square meters2013: 2.6 square meters2014: 4.7 square meters2015: 4.9 square meters2016: 4.9 square meters2017: 6 square meters2018: 6.3 square meters2019: 6.4 square meters2020: 7.2 square meters2021: 6 square meters2022: 4.2 square meters2023: 3.6 square meters

Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in square meters.

Analysis

In 2023, consumption-based deforestation per person in Malawi stood at 3.65 square meters.

The figure is down 13.2% on the previous year and up 41.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, consumption-based deforestation per person in Malawi peaked at 7.16 square meters in 2020 and was at its lowest, 2.58 square meters, in 2013.

That places Malawi 93rd out of 178 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 4.4 square meters 4.25 square meters 4.65 square meters 5
2010s 4.62 square meters 2.58 square meters 6.37 square meters 10
2020s 5.24 square meters 3.65 square meters 7.16 square meters 4

Countries ranked near Malawi

  1. 90 Sweden 3.75 square meters compare
  2. 91 Mauritania 3.71 square meters compare
  3. 92 Israel 3.67 square meters compare
  4. 94 Japan 3.65 square meters compare
  5. 95 Indonesia 3.6 square meters compare
  6. 96 Turkmenistan 3.55 square meters compare

See the full ranking of 178 places →

More environment data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is consumption-based deforestation per person in Malawi?
Consumption-based deforestation per person in Malawi was 3.65 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 Malawi?
The highest recorded value was 7.16 square meters in 2020.
What is the lowest consumption-based deforestation per person recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was 2.58 square meters in 2013.
How does Malawi rank for consumption-based deforestation per person?
Malawi ranks 93rd out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
Is consumption-based deforestation per person rising or falling in Malawi?
Over the last ten years it is up 41.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Malawi 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

Indicator
Consumption-based deforestation per person
Unit
square meters
Source
Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
178 places, 3,320 data points, 2005–2023
Last refreshed

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.