Deforestation embedded in trade in Australia

Australia: Deforestation embedded in trade was 16,518 hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
16,518 hectares
Change on year
down 4.2%
World rank
15th
of 178 countries
All-time high
27,376 hectares
in 2012
All-time low
12,175 hectares
in 2006
Years of data
19
2005–2023

Deforestation embedded in trade in Australia, 2005–2023

010.0k20.0k30.0k2005201420232005: 12.6k hectares2006: 12.2k hectares2007: 13.9k hectares2008: 16.5k hectares2009: 13.0k hectares2010: 16.0k hectares2011: 21.8k hectares2012: 27.4k hectares2013: 27.1k hectares2014: 25.4k hectares2015: 20.6k hectares2016: 22.4k hectares2017: 24.0k hectares2018: 22.1k hectares2019: 16.9k hectares2020: 14.5k hectares2021: 14.8k hectares2022: 17.2k hectares2023: 16.5k hectares

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

Analysis

Australia recorded 16,518 hectares for deforestation embedded in trade in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.2% on the previous year and down 39.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, deforestation embedded in trade in Australia peaked at 27,376 hectares in 2012 and was at its lowest, 12,175 hectares, in 2006.

That places Australia 15th out of 178 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 13,634 hectares 12,175 hectares 16,549 hectares 5
2010s 22,375 hectares 15,968 hectares 27,376 hectares 10
2020s 15,755 hectares 14,457 hectares 17,240 hectares 4

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 12 Canada 18,602 hectares compare
  2. 13 Algeria 17,806 hectares compare
  3. 14 Netherlands 17,615 hectares compare
  4. 16 Turkey 11,408 hectares compare
  5. 17 Iran 10,074 hectares compare
  6. 18 Saudi Arabia 9,760 hectares compare

See the full ranking of 178 places →

More environment data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is deforestation embedded in trade in Australia?
Deforestation embedded in trade in Australia was 16,518 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest deforestation embedded in trade recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 27,376 hectares in 2012.
What is the lowest deforestation embedded in trade recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 12,175 hectares in 2006.
How does Australia rank for deforestation embedded in trade?
Australia ranks 15th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
Is deforestation embedded in trade rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is down 39.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Australia data come from?
The figures come from Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Deforestation embedded in trade. 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
Deforestation embedded in trade
Unit
hectares
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

Deforestation driven by imported goods minus exported goods from agriculture and forest plantations. Net importers of deforestation are countries who contribute to net deforestation in other countries – the deforestation that they cause in other countries is given as a positive value.