Exported deforestation in China
China: Exported deforestation was 86,523 hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Exported deforestation in China, 2005–2023
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
The most recent figure for exported deforestation in China is 86,523 hectares, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 8.7% on the previous year and up 59.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exported deforestation in China peaked at 108,792 hectares in 2008 and was at its lowest, 54,158 hectares, in 2013.
China ranks 4th of 178 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
Exported deforestation in China, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 64,408 hectares | — |
| 2006 | 81,378 hectares | +26.3% |
| 2007 | 102,099 hectares | +25.5% |
| 2008 | 108,792 hectares | +6.6% |
| 2009 | 84,737 hectares | -22.1% |
| 2010 | 82,000 hectares | -3.2% |
| 2011 | 75,594 hectares | -7.8% |
| 2012 | 63,391 hectares | -16.1% |
| 2013 | 54,158 hectares | -14.6% |
| 2014 | 59,343 hectares | +9.6% |
| 2015 | 65,781 hectares | +10.8% |
| 2016 | 79,466 hectares | +20.8% |
| 2017 | 87,663 hectares | +10.3% |
| 2018 | 93,175 hectares | +6.3% |
| 2019 | 90,788 hectares | -2.6% |
| 2020 | 89,694 hectares | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 92,397 hectares | +3.0% |
| 2022 | 79,583 hectares | -13.9% |
| 2023 | 86,523 hectares | +8.7% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 86,523 hectares is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 19.09 hectares, 4532.4× the median. (50 countries reporting)
- China's 86,523 hectares is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1,873 hectares, 46.2× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 88,283 hectares | 64,408 hectares | 108,792 hectares | 5 |
| 2010s | 75,136 hectares | 54,158 hectares | 93,175 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 87,049 hectares | 79,583 hectares | 92,397 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near China
More environment data for China
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.279 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.92 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.8065 % 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 -0.2517 % 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 0.9037 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exported deforestation in China?
- Exported deforestation in China was 86,523 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest exported deforestation recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 108,792 hectares in 2008.
- What is the lowest exported deforestation recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 54,158 hectares in 2013.
- How does China rank for exported deforestation?
- China ranks 4th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is exported deforestation rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 59.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Exported deforestation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 19 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Exported deforestation is the amount of annual deforestation that is driven by the production of food and forestry products that are exported for consumption in other countries. This is measured in hectares.