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.
Drivers of deforestation in South Africa, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 4,941 hectares | — |
| 2002 | 3,115 hectares | -37.0% |
| 2003 | 4,599 hectares | +47.6% |
| 2004 | 6,863 hectares | +49.2% |
| 2005 | 4,701 hectares | -31.5% |
| 2006 | 2,781 hectares | -40.8% |
| 2007 | 4,967 hectares | +78.6% |
| 2008 | 5,058 hectares | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 4,644 hectares | -8.2% |
| 2010 | 3,458 hectares | -25.5% |
| 2011 | 4,282 hectares | +23.8% |
| 2012 | 3,249 hectares | -24.1% |
| 2013 | 4,106 hectares | +26.4% |
| 2014 | 5,051 hectares | +23.0% |
| 2015 | 4,379 hectares | -13.3% |
| 2016 | 5,606 hectares | +28.0% |
| 2017 | 7,558 hectares | +34.8% |
| 2018 | 6,792 hectares | -10.1% |
| 2019 | 5,523 hectares | -18.7% |
| 2020 | 6,243 hectares | +13.0% |
| 2021 | 4,902 hectares | -21.5% |
| 2022 | 3,573 hectares | -27.1% |
| 2023 | 3,036 hectares | -15.0% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 3,036 hectares is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 74.69 hectares, 40.7× the median. (50 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 3,036 hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 751.37 hectares, 4.0× the median. (43 countries reporting)
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
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 5.46 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 8.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.275 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.05 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.59 % 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 0.2953 % 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 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.