Exported deforestation in Malaysia
Malaysia: Exported deforestation was 35,121 hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Exported deforestation in Malaysia, 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 Malaysia is 35,121 hectares, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 19 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 27.5% on the previous year and down 71.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exported deforestation in Malaysia peaked at 123,564 hectares in 2013 and was at its lowest, 35,121 hectares, in 2023.
That places Malaysia 9th out of 178 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
Exported deforestation in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 48,540 hectares | — |
| 2006 | 45,024 hectares | -7.2% |
| 2007 | 46,133 hectares | +2.5% |
| 2008 | 48,057 hectares | +4.2% |
| 2009 | 62,933 hectares | +31.0% |
| 2010 | 79,602 hectares | +26.5% |
| 2011 | 94,257 hectares | +18.4% |
| 2012 | 121,112 hectares | +28.5% |
| 2013 | 123,564 hectares | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 122,381 hectares | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 111,091 hectares | -9.2% |
| 2016 | 109,129 hectares | -1.8% |
| 2017 | 98,114 hectares | -10.1% |
| 2018 | 98,004 hectares | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 91,484 hectares | -6.7% |
| 2020 | 74,899 hectares | -18.1% |
| 2021 | 63,077 hectares | -15.8% |
| 2022 | 48,412 hectares | -23.2% |
| 2023 | 35,121 hectares | -27.5% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 35,121 hectares is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 19.09 hectares, 1839.8× the median. (50 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 35,121 hectares is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1,873 hectares, 18.8× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 50,137 hectares | 45,024 hectares | 62,933 hectares | 5 |
| 2010s | 104,874 hectares | 79,602 hectares | 123,564 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 55,377 hectares | 35,121 hectares | 74,899 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More environment data for Malaysia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -1.65 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -1.9 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.179 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.25 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 4.33 % 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 0.9114 % 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 Malaysia?
- Exported deforestation in Malaysia was 35,121 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest exported deforestation recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 123,564 hectares in 2013.
- What is the lowest exported deforestation recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 35,121 hectares in 2023.
- How does Malaysia rank for exported deforestation?
- Malaysia ranks 9th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is exported deforestation rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 71.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malaysia 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.