Exported deforestation in Ghana

Ghana: Exported deforestation was 23,815 hectares in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
23,815 hectares
Change on year
down 18.9%
World rank
14th
of 178 countries
All-time high
61,654 hectares
in 2018
All-time low
11,530 hectares
in 2006
Years of data
19
2005–2023

Exported deforestation in Ghana, 2005–2023

20.0k40.0k60.0k2005201420232005: 19.6k hectares2006: 11.5k hectares2007: 15.4k hectares2008: 15.8k hectares2009: 17.1k hectares2010: 13.4k hectares2011: 12.7k hectares2012: 16.2k hectares2013: 20.9k hectares2014: 23.0k hectares2015: 28.0k hectares2016: 44.2k hectares2017: 50.1k hectares2018: 61.7k hectares2019: 49.0k hectares2020: 25.8k hectares2021: 33.2k hectares2022: 29.4k hectares2023: 23.8k hectares

Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.

Analysis

Ghana recorded 23,815 hectares for exported deforestation in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 18.9% on the previous year and up 13.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, exported deforestation in Ghana peaked at 61,654 hectares in 2018 and was at its lowest, 11,530 hectares, in 2006.

That places Ghana 14th out of 178 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 15,901 hectares 11,530 hectares 19,633 hectares 5
2010s 31,896 hectares 12,678 hectares 61,654 hectares 10
2020s 28,052 hectares 23,815 hectares 33,198 hectares 4

Countries ranked near Ghana

  1. 11 Myanmar 29,282 hectares compare
  2. 12 India 28,549 hectares compare
  3. 13 Peru 28,514 hectares compare
  4. 15 Argentina 21,173 hectares compare
  5. 16 Thailand 17,112 hectares compare
  6. 17 New Zealand 13,511 hectares compare

See the full ranking of 178 places →

More environment data for Ghana

All data for Ghana →

Frequently asked questions

What is exported deforestation in Ghana?
Exported deforestation in Ghana was 23,815 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest exported deforestation recorded in Ghana?
The highest recorded value was 61,654 hectares in 2018.
What is the lowest exported deforestation recorded in Ghana?
The lowest recorded value was 11,530 hectares in 2006.
How does Ghana rank for exported deforestation?
Ghana ranks 14th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
Is exported deforestation rising or falling in Ghana?
Over the last ten years it is up 13.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Ghana 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

Indicator
Exported deforestation
Unit
hectares
Source
Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
178 places, 3,320 data points, 2005–2023
Last refreshed

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.