Drivers of deforestation in Japan

Japan: Drivers of deforestation was 276.54 hectares in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
276.54 hectares
Change on year
up 8.3%
World rank
65th
of 166 countries
All-time high
527.12 hectares
in 2020
All-time low
1.68 hectares
in 2004
Years of data
15
2004–2023

Drivers of deforestation in Japan, 2004–2023

02004006002004201320232004: 1.7 hectares2005: 56 hectares2006: 58.6 hectares2007: 80.5 hectares2008: 105 hectares2009: 120.5 hectares2010: 133.9 hectares2011: 130.4 hectares2012: 238.8 hectares2013: 59.2 hectares2014: 12.7 hectares2020: 527.1 hectares2021: 267.2 hectares2022: 255.4 hectares2023: 276.5 hectares

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

Analysis

Japan recorded 276.54 hectares for drivers of deforestation in 2023.

That represents a change of up 8.3% on the previous year and up 367.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, drivers of deforestation in Japan peaked at 527.12 hectares in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1.68 hectares, in 2004.

Japan ranks 65th of 166 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 70.35 hectares 1.68 hectares 120.46 hectares 6
2010s 114.98 hectares 12.67 hectares 238.76 hectares 5
2020s 331.57 hectares 255.37 hectares 527.12 hectares 4

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 62 Belize 335.35 hectares compare
  2. 63 Equatorial Guinea 321.37 hectares compare
  3. 64 Germany 319.87 hectares compare
  4. 66 Portugal 250.15 hectares compare
  5. 67 Finland 244.29 hectares compare
  6. 68 Benin 225.28 hectares compare

See the full ranking of 166 places →

More environment data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is drivers of deforestation in Japan?
Drivers of deforestation in Japan was 276.54 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest drivers of deforestation recorded in Japan?
The highest recorded value was 527.12 hectares in 2020.
What is the lowest drivers of deforestation recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 1.68 hectares in 2004.
How does Japan rank for drivers of deforestation?
Japan ranks 65th out of 166 countries with data for 2023.
Is drivers of deforestation rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is up 367.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Japan 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.