Drivers of deforestation in South Africa
South Africa: Drivers of deforestation was 3,036 hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Drivers of deforestation in South Africa, 2001–2023
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2023, drivers of deforestation in South Africa stood at 3,036 hectares.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 15.0% on the previous year and down 26.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, drivers of deforestation in South Africa peaked at 7,558 hectares in 2017 and was at its lowest, 2,781 hectares, in 2006.
South Africa ranks 39th of 166 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 4,630 hectares | 2,781 hectares | 6,863 hectares | 9 |
| 2010s | 5,000 hectares | 3,249 hectares | 7,558 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 4,439 hectares | 3,036 hectares | 6,243 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More environment data for South Africa
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 569.81 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 8.9 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 25.85 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 1.31 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 40 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.1686 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 93.23 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.055 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.1946 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 25.44 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is drivers of deforestation in South Africa?
- Drivers of deforestation in South Africa was 3,036 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest drivers of deforestation recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 7,558 hectares in 2017.
- What is the lowest drivers of deforestation recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,781 hectares in 2006.
- How does South Africa rank for drivers of deforestation?
- South Africa ranks 39th out of 166 countries with data for 2023.
- Is drivers of deforestation rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa 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.