Drivers of deforestation in Canada

Canada: Drivers of deforestation was 3,237 hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
3,237 hectares
Change on year
down 39.2%
World rank
37th
of 166 countries
All-time high
14,321 hectares
in 2004
All-time low
2,409 hectares
in 2016
Years of data
15
2001–2023

Drivers of deforestation in Canada, 2001–2023

2.5k5.0k7.5k10.0k12.5k15.0k2001201220232001: 11.7k hectares2002: 14.2k hectares2003: 7.4k hectares2004: 14.3k hectares2006: 14.2k hectares2007: 10.0k hectares2008: 10.1k hectares2016: 2.4k hectares2017: 6.7k hectares2018: 7.2k hectares2019: 7.8k hectares2020: 7.3k hectares2021: 7.7k hectares2022: 5.3k hectares2023: 3.2k hectares

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for drivers of deforestation in Canada is 3,237 hectares, measured in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 39.2% on the previous year and up 34.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, drivers of deforestation in Canada peaked at 14,321 hectares in 2004 and was at its lowest, 2,409 hectares, in 2016.

That places Canada 37th out of 166 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 11,719 hectares 7,372 hectares 14,321 hectares 7
2010s 6,015 hectares 2,409 hectares 7,784 hectares 4
2020s 5,881 hectares 3,237 hectares 7,688 hectares 4

Countries ranked near Canada

  1. 34 Congo 4,496 hectares compare
  2. 35 Australia 4,457 hectares compare
  3. 36 Ethiopia 3,549 hectares compare
  4. 38 Central African Republic 3,096 hectares compare
  5. 39 South Africa 3,036 hectares compare
  6. 40 Cote d'Ivoire 2,974 hectares compare

See the full ranking of 166 places →

More environment data for Canada

All data for Canada →

Frequently asked questions

What is drivers of deforestation in Canada?
Drivers of deforestation in Canada was 3,237 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest drivers of deforestation recorded in Canada?
The highest recorded value was 14,321 hectares in 2004.
What is the lowest drivers of deforestation recorded in Canada?
The lowest recorded value was 2,409 hectares in 2016.
How does Canada rank for drivers of deforestation?
Canada ranks 37th out of 166 countries with data for 2023.
Is drivers of deforestation rising or falling in Canada?
Over the last ten years it is up 34.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Canada data come from?
The figures come from Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Drivers of deforestation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Drivers of deforestation
Unit
hectares
Source
Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
166 places, 2,829 data points, 2001–2023
Last refreshed

Estimates of commodity-driven deforestation, measured in hectares per year. This includes deforestation caused by the production of agricultural products and forestry, which account for approximately 90% of the world's deforestation.