Deforestation embedded in trade in United States

United States: Deforestation embedded in trade was 191,046 hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
191,046 hectares
Change on year
down 7.0%
World rank
1st
of 178 countries
All-time high
206,356 hectares
in 2019
All-time low
113,078 hectares
in 2010
Years of data
19
2005–2023

Deforestation embedded in trade in United States, 2005–2023

050.0k100.0k150.0k200.0k2005201420232005: 151.3k hectares2006: 136.3k hectares2007: 126.6k hectares2008: 113.2k hectares2009: 119.7k hectares2010: 113.1k hectares2011: 117.7k hectares2012: 136.4k hectares2013: 135.1k hectares2014: 139.0k hectares2015: 145.6k hectares2016: 171.7k hectares2017: 190.8k hectares2018: 201.7k hectares2019: 206.4k hectares2020: 200.1k hectares2021: 205.0k hectares2022: 205.4k hectares2023: 191.0k hectares

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

Analysis

In 2023, deforestation embedded in trade in United States stood at 191,046 hectares.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 7.0% on the previous year and up 41.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, deforestation embedded in trade in United States peaked at 206,356 hectares in 2019 and was at its lowest, 113,078 hectares, in 2010.

That places United States 1st 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 129,410 hectares 113,193 hectares 151,291 hectares 5
2010s 155,751 hectares 113,078 hectares 206,356 hectares 10
2020s 200,363 hectares 191,046 hectares 205,364 hectares 4

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 2 China 144,628 hectares compare
  2. 3 Germany 47,928 hectares compare
  3. 4 Japan 44,879 hectares compare

See the full ranking of 178 places →

More environment data for United States

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is deforestation embedded in trade in United States?
Deforestation embedded in trade in United States was 191,046 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 United States?
The highest recorded value was 206,356 hectares in 2019.
What is the lowest deforestation embedded in trade recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 113,078 hectares in 2010.
How does United States rank for deforestation embedded in trade?
United States ranks 1st out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
Is deforestation embedded in trade rising or falling in United States?
Over the last ten years it is up 41.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United States 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.