Consumption-based deforestation per person in South Africa
South Africa: Consumption-based deforestation per person was 1.87 square meters in 2023. ▼ Falling
Consumption-based deforestation per person in South Africa, 2005–2023
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in square meters.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 1.87 square meters for consumption-based deforestation per person in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 19 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 14.4% on the previous year and down 70.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, consumption-based deforestation per person in South Africa peaked at 8.88 square meters in 2012 and was at its lowest, 1.87 square meters, in 2023.
That places South Africa 120th out of 178 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5.27 square meters | 3.59 square meters | 7.13 square meters | 5 |
| 2010s | 6.18 square meters | 4.74 square meters | 8.88 square meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.37 square meters | 1.87 square meters | 2.82 square meters | 4 |
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 consumption-based deforestation per person in South Africa?
- Consumption-based deforestation per person in South Africa was 1.87 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 South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 8.88 square meters in 2012.
- What is the lowest consumption-based deforestation per person recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.87 square meters in 2023.
- How does South Africa rank for consumption-based deforestation per person?
- South Africa ranks 120th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is consumption-based deforestation per person rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 70.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa 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.