Deforestation embedded in trade in Costa Rica

Costa Rica: Deforestation embedded in trade was 1,037 hectares in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
1,037 hectares
Change on year
up 44.9%
World rank
100th
of 178 countries
All-time high
1,037 hectares
in 2023
All-time low
-4,653 hectares
in 2011
Years of data
19
2005–2023

Deforestation embedded in trade in Costa Rica, 2005–2023

-4.0k-2.0k02.0k2005201420232005: -3.5k hectares2006: -3.3k hectares2007: -2.7k hectares2008: -3.2k hectares2009: -4.5k hectares2010: -4.6k hectares2011: -4.7k hectares2012: -2.4k hectares2013: -1.2k hectares2014: -334.6 hectares2015: 876.5 hectares2016: 900.5 hectares2017: 357.8 hectares2018: 317.1 hectares2019: 351 hectares2020: 388.1 hectares2021: 558.2 hectares2022: 715.9 hectares2023: 1.0k hectares

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

Analysis

In 2023, deforestation embedded in trade in Costa Rica stood at 1,037 hectares. That is the highest value across all 19 years on record.

That represents a change of up 44.9% on the previous year and up 186.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, deforestation embedded in trade in Costa Rica peaked at 1,037 hectares in 2023 and was at its lowest, -4,653 hectares, in 2011.

Costa Rica ranks 100th of 178 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s -3,472 hectares -4,530 hectares -2,749 hectares 5
2010s -1,036 hectares -4,653 hectares 900.49 hectares 10
2020s 674.84 hectares 388.13 hectares 1,037 hectares 4

Countries ranked near Costa Rica

  1. 97 Hungary 1,206 hectares compare
  2. 98 Gambia 1,203 hectares compare
  3. 99 Bulgaria 1,149 hectares compare
  4. 101 Djibouti 1,034 hectares compare
  5. 102 Chad 987.78 hectares compare
  6. 103 Somalia 980.03 hectares compare

See the full ranking of 178 places →

More environment data for Costa Rica

All data for Costa Rica →

Frequently asked questions

What is deforestation embedded in trade in Costa Rica?
Deforestation embedded in trade in Costa Rica was 1,037 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 Costa Rica?
The highest recorded value was 1,037 hectares in 2023.
What is the lowest deforestation embedded in trade recorded in Costa Rica?
The lowest recorded value was -4,653 hectares in 2011.
How does Costa Rica rank for deforestation embedded in trade?
Costa Rica ranks 100th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
Is deforestation embedded in trade rising or falling in Costa Rica?
Over the last ten years it is up 186.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Costa Rica 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.