Exported deforestation in Malawi
Malawi: Exported deforestation was 2,697 hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Exported deforestation in Malawi, 2005–2023
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 2,697 hectares for exported deforestation in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.0% on the previous year and up 185.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exported deforestation in Malawi peaked at 2,815 hectares in 2018 and was at its lowest, 879.98 hectares, in 2012.
Malawi ranks 40th of 178 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
Exported deforestation in Malawi, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 963.9 hectares | — |
| 2006 | 923.98 hectares | -4.1% |
| 2007 | 1,575 hectares | +70.4% |
| 2008 | 1,372 hectares | -12.8% |
| 2009 | 1,495 hectares | +8.9% |
| 2010 | 1,129 hectares | -24.5% |
| 2011 | 1,307 hectares | +15.7% |
| 2012 | 879.98 hectares | -32.7% |
| 2013 | 945.09 hectares | +7.4% |
| 2014 | 1,600 hectares | +69.3% |
| 2015 | 1,605 hectares | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 2,254 hectares | +40.4% |
| 2017 | 2,273 hectares | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 2,815 hectares | +23.8% |
| 2019 | 2,665 hectares | -5.3% |
| 2020 | 1,798 hectares | -32.5% |
| 2021 | 1,922 hectares | +6.9% |
| 2022 | 2,644 hectares | +37.6% |
| 2023 | 2,697 hectares | +2.0% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 2,697 hectares is above the median for low income countries, which is 551.19 hectares, 4.9× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 2,697 hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 578.35 hectares, 4.7× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1,266 hectares | 923.98 hectares | 1,575 hectares | 5 |
| 2010s | 1,747 hectares | 879.98 hectares | 2,815 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 2,265 hectares | 1,798 hectares | 2,697 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More environment data for Malawi
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -0.9153 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -0.8098 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.254 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.07 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 3.65 % 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 5.3 % 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 Malawi?
- Exported deforestation in Malawi was 2,697 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest exported deforestation recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 2,815 hectares in 2018.
- What is the lowest exported deforestation recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 879.98 hectares in 2012.
- How does Malawi rank for exported deforestation?
- Malawi ranks 40th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is exported deforestation rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 185.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi 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.