Deforestation embedded in trade in India
India: Deforestation embedded in trade was 27,148 hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Deforestation embedded in trade in India, 2005–2023
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
India recorded 27,148 hectares for deforestation embedded in trade in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 21.8% on the previous year and down 59.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, deforestation embedded in trade in India peaked at 110,649 hectares in 2014 and was at its lowest, 19,028 hectares, in 2019.
That places India 8th out of 178 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.
Deforestation embedded in trade in India, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 48,030 hectares | — |
| 2006 | 53,046 hectares | +10.4% |
| 2007 | 80,588 hectares | +51.9% |
| 2008 | 86,833 hectares | +7.7% |
| 2009 | 98,235 hectares | +13.1% |
| 2010 | 88,760 hectares | -9.6% |
| 2011 | 84,111 hectares | -5.2% |
| 2012 | 103,662 hectares | +23.2% |
| 2013 | 66,615 hectares | -35.7% |
| 2014 | 110,649 hectares | +66.1% |
| 2015 | 100,298 hectares | -9.4% |
| 2016 | 85,745 hectares | -14.5% |
| 2017 | 48,593 hectares | -43.3% |
| 2018 | 25,315 hectares | -47.9% |
| 2019 | 19,028 hectares | -24.8% |
| 2020 | 36,080 hectares | +89.6% |
| 2021 | 41,652 hectares | +15.4% |
| 2022 | 34,712 hectares | -16.7% |
| 2023 | 27,148 hectares | -21.8% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 27,148 hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 966.34 hectares, 28.1× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- India's 27,148 hectares is above the median for South Asia, which is 2,808 hectares, 9.7× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 73,347 hectares | 48,030 hectares | 98,235 hectares | 5 |
| 2010s | 73,278 hectares | 19,028 hectares | 110,649 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 34,898 hectares | 27,148 hectares | 41,652 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near India
More environment data for India
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 11.05 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 12.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.254 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.954 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 3.92 % 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 1.12 % 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 India?
- Deforestation embedded in trade in India was 27,148 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 India?
- The highest recorded value was 110,649 hectares in 2014.
- What is the lowest deforestation embedded in trade recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 19,028 hectares in 2019.
- How does India rank for deforestation embedded in trade?
- India ranks 8th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is deforestation embedded in trade rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 59.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India 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.