Drivers of deforestation in Mozambique
Mozambique: Drivers of deforestation was 21,379 hectares in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Drivers of deforestation in Mozambique, 2001–2023
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
The most recent figure for drivers of deforestation in Mozambique is 21,379 hectares, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 35.1% on the previous year and up 89.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, drivers of deforestation in Mozambique peaked at 33,104 hectares in 2017 and was at its lowest, 2,397 hectares, in 2001.
Mozambique ranks 16th 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.
Drivers of deforestation in Mozambique, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 2,397 hectares | — |
| 2002 | 4,573 hectares | +90.8% |
| 2003 | 7,510 hectares | +64.2% |
| 2004 | 3,419 hectares | -54.5% |
| 2005 | 15,015 hectares | +339.1% |
| 2006 | 4,675 hectares | -68.9% |
| 2007 | 10,201 hectares | +118.2% |
| 2008 | 16,723 hectares | +63.9% |
| 2009 | 28,015 hectares | +67.5% |
| 2010 | 29,311 hectares | +4.6% |
| 2011 | 14,294 hectares | -51.2% |
| 2012 | 14,627 hectares | +2.3% |
| 2013 | 11,270 hectares | -22.9% |
| 2014 | 11,671 hectares | +3.6% |
| 2015 | 15,152 hectares | +29.8% |
| 2016 | 22,930 hectares | +51.3% |
| 2017 | 33,104 hectares | +44.4% |
| 2018 | 10,206 hectares | -69.2% |
| 2019 | 16,258 hectares | +59.3% |
| 2020 | 14,562 hectares | -10.4% |
| 2021 | 20,034 hectares | +37.6% |
| 2022 | 15,825 hectares | -21.0% |
| 2023 | 21,379 hectares | +35.1% |
Mozambique compared with similar countries
- Mozambique's 21,379 hectares is above the median for low income countries, which is 550.07 hectares, 38.9× the median. (22 countries reporting)
- Mozambique's 21,379 hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 751.37 hectares, 28.5× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Drivers of deforestation in Mozambique changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | +339.1% | 3,419 hectares | 15,015 hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 10,281 hectares | 2,397 hectares | 28,015 hectares | 9 |
| 2010s | 17,882 hectares | 10,206 hectares | 33,104 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 17,950 hectares | 14,562 hectares | 21,379 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Mozambique
More environment data for Mozambique
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -3.62 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -2.58 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.256 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.23 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -2.02 % 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 0.2476 % 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 drivers of deforestation in Mozambique?
- Drivers of deforestation in Mozambique was 21,379 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest drivers of deforestation recorded in Mozambique?
- The highest recorded value was 33,104 hectares in 2017.
- What is the lowest drivers of deforestation recorded in Mozambique?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,397 hectares in 2001.
- How does Mozambique rank for drivers of deforestation?
- Mozambique ranks 16th out of 166 countries with data for 2023.
- Is drivers of deforestation rising or falling in Mozambique?
- Over the last ten years it is up 89.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Mozambique 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
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.