Deforestation embedded in trade in Australia
Australia: Deforestation embedded in trade was 16,518 hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Deforestation embedded in trade in Australia, 2005–2023
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.
Deforestation embedded in trade in Australia, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 12,575 hectares | — |
| 2006 | 12,175 hectares | -3.2% |
| 2007 | 13,874 hectares | +14.0% |
| 2008 | 16,549 hectares | +19.3% |
| 2009 | 12,998 hectares | -21.5% |
| 2010 | 15,968 hectares | +22.8% |
| 2011 | 21,812 hectares | +36.6% |
| 2012 | 27,376 hectares | +25.5% |
| 2013 | 27,148 hectares | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 25,440 hectares | -6.3% |
| 2015 | 20,634 hectares | -18.9% |
| 2016 | 22,380 hectares | +8.5% |
| 2017 | 24,024 hectares | +7.3% |
| 2018 | 22,080 hectares | -8.1% |
| 2019 | 16,886 hectares | -23.5% |
| 2020 | 14,457 hectares | -14.4% |
| 2021 | 14,804 hectares | +2.4% |
| 2022 | 17,240 hectares | +16.5% |
| 2023 | 16,518 hectares | -4.2% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 16,518 hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 2,387 hectares, 6.9× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Australia's 16,518 hectares is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is -332.56 hectares. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
More environment data for Australia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -4.75 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -5.98 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.345 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.4 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.6708 % 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 0.0861 % 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 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
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.