Deforestation embedded in trade in Ireland
Ireland: Deforestation embedded in trade was -1,481 hectares in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Deforestation embedded in trade in Ireland, 2005–2023
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2023, deforestation embedded in trade in Ireland stood at -1,481 hectares. That is the lowest value across all 19 years on record.
That represents a change of down 8.3% on the previous year and down 185.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, deforestation embedded in trade in Ireland peaked at 3,837 hectares in 2016 and was at its lowest, -1,481 hectares, in 2023.
That places Ireland 149th out of 178 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Deforestation embedded in trade in Ireland, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 2,093 hectares | — |
| 2006 | 3,024 hectares | +44.5% |
| 2007 | 2,993 hectares | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 2,711 hectares | -9.4% |
| 2009 | 2,218 hectares | -18.2% |
| 2010 | 1,701 hectares | -23.3% |
| 2011 | 2,065 hectares | +21.4% |
| 2012 | 2,308 hectares | +11.8% |
| 2013 | 1,735 hectares | -24.9% |
| 2014 | 2,606 hectares | +50.2% |
| 2015 | 2,673 hectares | +2.6% |
| 2016 | 3,837 hectares | +43.6% |
| 2017 | 3,662 hectares | -4.6% |
| 2018 | 3,458 hectares | -5.6% |
| 2019 | 3,732 hectares | +7.9% |
| 2020 | 1,749 hectares | -53.1% |
| 2021 | 70.91 hectares | -95.9% |
| 2022 | -1,368 hectares | -2028.6% |
| 2023 | -1,481 hectares | +8.3% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's -1,481 hectares is below the median for high income countries, which is 2,387 hectares. (59 countries reporting)
- Ireland's -1,481 hectares is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2,329 hectares. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Deforestation embedded in trade in Ireland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | -2028.6% | 70.91 hectares | -1,368 hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2,608 hectares | 2,093 hectares | 3,024 hectares | 5 |
| 2010s | 2,778 hectares | 1,701 hectares | 3,837 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | -257.16 hectares | -1,481 hectares | 1,749 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More environment data for Ireland
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 2.51 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 2.17 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.412 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.89 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -1.13 % 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 -0.0083 % 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 Ireland?
- Deforestation embedded in trade in Ireland was -1,481 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 Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 3,837 hectares in 2016.
- What is the lowest deforestation embedded in trade recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was -1,481 hectares in 2023.
- How does Ireland rank for deforestation embedded in trade?
- Ireland ranks 149th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is deforestation embedded in trade rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 185.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ireland 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.