Exported deforestation in South Africa
South Africa: Exported deforestation was 570.79 hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Exported deforestation in South Africa, 2005–2023
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2023, exported deforestation in South Africa stood at 570.79 hectares.
The figure is down 6.3% on the previous year and down 10.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exported deforestation in South Africa peaked at 1,173 hectares in 2017 and was at its lowest, 380.13 hectares, in 2005.
That places South Africa 61st out of 178 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 531.29 hectares | 380.13 hectares | 684.67 hectares | 5 |
| 2010s | 843.77 hectares | 499.23 hectares | 1,173 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 738.1 hectares | 570.79 hectares | 929.48 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More environment data for South Africa
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 569.81 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 8.9 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 25.85 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 1.31 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 40 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.1686 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 93.23 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.055 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.1946 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 25.44 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exported deforestation in South Africa?
- Exported deforestation in South Africa was 570.79 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest exported deforestation recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1,173 hectares in 2017.
- What is the lowest exported deforestation recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 380.13 hectares in 2005.
- How does South Africa rank for exported deforestation?
- South Africa ranks 61st out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is exported deforestation rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa 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.