Deforestation embedded in trade in Malaysia
Malaysia: Deforestation embedded in trade was -17,134 hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Deforestation embedded in trade in Malaysia, 2005–2023
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2023, deforestation embedded in trade in Malaysia stood at -17,134 hectares. That is the highest value across all 19 years on record.
That represents a change of up 45.5% on the previous year and up 81.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, deforestation embedded in trade in Malaysia peaked at -17,134 hectares in 2023 and was at its lowest, -94,844 hectares, in 2013.
That places Malaysia 168th out of 178 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.
Deforestation embedded in trade in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | -32,900 hectares | — |
| 2006 | -24,800 hectares | -24.6% |
| 2007 | -25,916 hectares | +4.5% |
| 2008 | -24,100 hectares | -7.0% |
| 2009 | -40,716 hectares | +68.9% |
| 2010 | -55,384 hectares | +36.0% |
| 2011 | -65,706 hectares | +18.6% |
| 2012 | -91,582 hectares | +39.4% |
| 2013 | -94,844 hectares | +3.6% |
| 2014 | -87,702 hectares | -7.5% |
| 2015 | -84,923 hectares | -3.2% |
| 2016 | -82,919 hectares | -2.4% |
| 2017 | -67,616 hectares | -18.5% |
| 2018 | -65,350 hectares | -3.4% |
| 2019 | -63,299 hectares | -3.1% |
| 2020 | -49,234 hectares | -22.2% |
| 2021 | -42,277 hectares | -14.1% |
| 2022 | -31,434 hectares | -25.6% |
| 2023 | -17,134 hectares | -45.5% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's -17,134 hectares is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1,506 hectares. (50 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's -17,134 hectares is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is -332.56 hectares, 51.5× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | -29,686 hectares | -40,716 hectares | -24,100 hectares | 5 |
| 2010s | -75,932 hectares | -94,844 hectares | -55,384 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | -35,020 hectares | -49,234 hectares | -17,134 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More environment data for Malaysia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -1.65 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -1.9 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.179 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.25 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 4.33 % 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 0.9114 % 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 Malaysia?
- Deforestation embedded in trade in Malaysia was -17,134 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 Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was -17,134 hectares in 2023.
- What is the lowest deforestation embedded in trade recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was -94,844 hectares in 2013.
- How does Malaysia rank for deforestation embedded in trade?
- Malaysia ranks 168th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is deforestation embedded in trade rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 81.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malaysia 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.