Drivers of deforestation in Malaysia

Malaysia: Drivers of deforestation was 22,099 hectares in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
22,099 hectares
Change on year
down 15.7%
World rank
15th
of 166 countries
All-time high
26,221 hectares
in 2022
All-time low
2,942 hectares
in 2011
Years of data
23
2001–2023

Drivers of deforestation in Malaysia, 2001–2023

5.0k10.0k15.0k20.0k25.0k2001201220232001: 8.2k hectares2002: 10.8k hectares2003: 11.5k hectares2004: 16.0k hectares2005: 14.9k hectares2006: 10.5k hectares2007: 8.3k hectares2008: 5.9k hectares2009: 6.3k hectares2010: 3.3k hectares2011: 2.9k hectares2012: 7.0k hectares2013: 4.2k hectares2014: 13.5k hectares2015: 4.8k hectares2016: 7.2k hectares2017: 7.3k hectares2018: 7.4k hectares2019: 11.3k hectares2020: 17.2k hectares2021: 22.9k hectares2022: 26.2k hectares2023: 22.1k 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 Malaysia is 22,099 hectares, measured in 2023.

The figure is down 15.7% on the previous year and up 432.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, drivers of deforestation in Malaysia peaked at 26,221 hectares in 2022 and was at its lowest, 2,942 hectares, in 2011.

Malaysia ranks 15th of 166 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 10,259 hectares 5,875 hectares 16,042 hectares 9
2010s 6,887 hectares 2,942 hectares 13,491 hectares 10
2020s 22,099 hectares 17,155 hectares 26,221 hectares 4

Countries ranked near Malaysia

  1. 12 Myanmar 25,925 hectares compare
  2. 13 Vietnam 24,559 hectares compare
  3. 14 Nigeria 22,772 hectares compare
  4. 16 Mozambique 21,379 hectares compare
  5. 17 Laos 18,937 hectares compare
  6. 18 Colombia 16,692 hectares compare

See the full ranking of 166 places →

More environment data for Malaysia

All data for Malaysia →

Frequently asked questions

What is drivers of deforestation in Malaysia?
Drivers of deforestation in Malaysia was 22,099 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest drivers of deforestation recorded in Malaysia?
The highest recorded value was 26,221 hectares in 2022.
What is the lowest drivers of deforestation recorded in Malaysia?
The lowest recorded value was 2,942 hectares in 2011.
How does Malaysia rank for drivers of deforestation?
Malaysia ranks 15th out of 166 countries with data for 2023.
Is drivers of deforestation rising or falling in Malaysia?
Over the last ten years it is up 432.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
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 Drivers of deforestation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 23 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.