Exported deforestation in Kenya
Kenya: Exported deforestation was 1,540 hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Exported deforestation in Kenya, 2005–2023
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Kenya recorded 1,540 hectares for exported deforestation in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 19 years on record.
That represents a change of down 39.2% on the previous year and down 71.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exported deforestation in Kenya peaked at 9,415 hectares in 2010 and was at its lowest, 1,540 hectares, in 2023.
Kenya ranks 46th of 178 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.
Exported deforestation in Kenya, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6,055 hectares | — |
| 2006 | 6,810 hectares | +12.5% |
| 2007 | 6,098 hectares | -10.5% |
| 2008 | 7,272 hectares | +19.3% |
| 2009 | 8,064 hectares | +10.9% |
| 2010 | 9,415 hectares | +16.7% |
| 2011 | 5,861 hectares | -37.7% |
| 2012 | 5,180 hectares | -11.6% |
| 2013 | 5,339 hectares | +3.1% |
| 2014 | 4,115 hectares | -22.9% |
| 2015 | 3,172 hectares | -22.9% |
| 2016 | 3,630 hectares | +14.4% |
| 2017 | 3,614 hectares | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 4,971 hectares | +37.6% |
| 2019 | 4,769 hectares | -4.1% |
| 2020 | 4,743 hectares | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 4,364 hectares | -8.0% |
| 2022 | 2,534 hectares | -41.9% |
| 2023 | 1,540 hectares | -39.2% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 1,540 hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 183.42 hectares, 8.4× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 1,540 hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 578.35 hectares, 2.7× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6,860 hectares | 6,055 hectares | 8,064 hectares | 5 |
| 2010s | 5,007 hectares | 3,172 hectares | 9,415 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 3,295 hectares | 1,540 hectares | 4,743 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More environment data for Kenya
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -8.08 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -4.73 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.27 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.12 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.25 % 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 2.87 % 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 exported deforestation in Kenya?
- Exported deforestation in Kenya was 1,540 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest exported deforestation recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 9,415 hectares in 2010.
- What is the lowest exported deforestation recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,540 hectares in 2023.
- How does Kenya rank for exported deforestation?
- Kenya ranks 46th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is exported deforestation rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 71.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Kenya 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.