Drivers of deforestation in United States
United States: Drivers of deforestation was 39,492 hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Drivers of deforestation in United States, 2001–2023
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
United States recorded 39,492 hectares for drivers of deforestation in 2023.
That represents a change of up 20.1% on the previous year and up 38.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, drivers of deforestation in United States peaked at 97,063 hectares in 2007 and was at its lowest, 28,570 hectares, in 2013.
That places United States 7th out of 166 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Drivers of deforestation in United States, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 70,483 hectares | — |
| 2002 | 63,806 hectares | -9.5% |
| 2003 | 51,595 hectares | -19.1% |
| 2004 | 84,698 hectares | +64.2% |
| 2005 | 80,398 hectares | -5.1% |
| 2006 | 87,960 hectares | +9.4% |
| 2007 | 97,063 hectares | +10.3% |
| 2008 | 81,768 hectares | -15.8% |
| 2009 | 68,566 hectares | -16.1% |
| 2010 | 76,632 hectares | +11.8% |
| 2011 | 69,193 hectares | -9.7% |
| 2012 | 45,100 hectares | -34.8% |
| 2013 | 28,570 hectares | -36.7% |
| 2014 | 34,640 hectares | +21.2% |
| 2015 | 52,681 hectares | +52.1% |
| 2016 | 70,163 hectares | +33.2% |
| 2017 | 73,351 hectares | +4.5% |
| 2018 | 60,309 hectares | -17.8% |
| 2019 | 54,197 hectares | -10.1% |
| 2020 | 51,296 hectares | -5.4% |
| 2021 | 45,992 hectares | -10.3% |
| 2022 | 32,884 hectares | -28.5% |
| 2023 | 39,492 hectares | +20.1% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 39,492 hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 69.88 hectares, 565.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 76,260 hectares | 51,595 hectares | 97,063 hectares | 9 |
| 2010s | 56,484 hectares | 28,570 hectares | 76,632 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 42,416 hectares | 32,884 hectares | 51,296 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near United States
More environment data for United States
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -2.64 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -2.16 Percentage change (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.3672 % 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 -0.624 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual 0.1269 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per unit of 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is drivers of deforestation in United States?
- Drivers of deforestation in United States was 39,492 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest drivers of deforestation recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 97,063 hectares in 2007.
- What is the lowest drivers of deforestation recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 28,570 hectares in 2013.
- How does United States rank for drivers of deforestation?
- United States ranks 7th out of 166 countries with data for 2023.
- Is drivers of deforestation rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 38.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States 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.