Exported deforestation in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Exported deforestation was 4,305 hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Exported deforestation in Papua New Guinea, 2005–2023
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Papua New Guinea recorded 4,305 hectares for exported deforestation in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 19 years on record.
The figure is down 41.7% on the previous year and down 74.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exported deforestation in Papua New Guinea peaked at 34,206 hectares in 2016 and was at its lowest, 4,305 hectares, in 2023.
Papua New Guinea ranks 33rd of 178 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.
Exported deforestation in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 23,621 hectares | — |
| 2006 | 26,381 hectares | +11.7% |
| 2007 | 25,317 hectares | -4.0% |
| 2008 | 29,376 hectares | +16.0% |
| 2009 | 23,465 hectares | -20.1% |
| 2010 | 22,626 hectares | -3.6% |
| 2011 | 21,303 hectares | -5.8% |
| 2012 | 19,786 hectares | -7.1% |
| 2013 | 17,069 hectares | -13.7% |
| 2014 | 23,234 hectares | +36.1% |
| 2015 | 28,984 hectares | +24.7% |
| 2016 | 34,206 hectares | +18.0% |
| 2017 | 27,585 hectares | -19.4% |
| 2018 | 22,595 hectares | -18.1% |
| 2019 | 13,329 hectares | -41.0% |
| 2020 | 8,556 hectares | -35.8% |
| 2021 | 4,780 hectares | -44.1% |
| 2022 | 7,391 hectares | +54.6% |
| 2023 | 4,305 hectares | -41.7% |
Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries
- Papua New Guinea's 4,305 hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 183.42 hectares, 23.5× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Papua New Guinea's 4,305 hectares is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1,873 hectares, 2.3× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 25,632 hectares | 23,465 hectares | 29,376 hectares | 5 |
| 2010s | 23,072 hectares | 13,329 hectares | 34,206 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 6,258 hectares | 4,305 hectares | 8,556 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
More environment data for Papua New Guinea
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 1.56 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 2.24 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.183 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.834 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.9266 % 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 0.6032 % 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 Papua New Guinea?
- Exported deforestation in Papua New Guinea was 4,305 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest exported deforestation recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 34,206 hectares in 2016.
- What is the lowest exported deforestation recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 4,305 hectares in 2023.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for exported deforestation?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 33rd out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is exported deforestation rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 74.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea 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.