Exported deforestation in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Exported deforestation was 2,554 hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Exported deforestation in Sri Lanka, 2005–2023
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 2,554 hectares for exported deforestation in 2023.
That represents a change of down 43.8% on the previous year and down 47.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exported deforestation in Sri Lanka peaked at 6,018 hectares in 2010 and was at its lowest, 2,315 hectares, in 2005.
Sri Lanka ranks 41st 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 Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 2,315 hectares | — |
| 2006 | 2,986 hectares | +29.0% |
| 2007 | 3,591 hectares | +20.2% |
| 2008 | 3,616 hectares | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 4,369 hectares | +20.8% |
| 2010 | 6,018 hectares | +37.7% |
| 2011 | 5,856 hectares | -2.7% |
| 2012 | 5,082 hectares | -13.2% |
| 2013 | 4,862 hectares | -4.3% |
| 2014 | 4,334 hectares | -10.9% |
| 2015 | 4,395 hectares | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 5,010 hectares | +14.0% |
| 2017 | 5,641 hectares | +12.6% |
| 2018 | 4,656 hectares | -17.5% |
| 2019 | 4,474 hectares | -3.9% |
| 2020 | 3,871 hectares | -13.5% |
| 2021 | 3,290 hectares | -15.0% |
| 2022 | 4,542 hectares | +38.1% |
| 2023 | 2,554 hectares | -43.8% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 2,554 hectares is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 19.09 hectares, 133.8× the median. (50 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 2,554 hectares is above the median for South Asia, which is 188.76 hectares, 13.5× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 3,375 hectares | 2,315 hectares | 4,369 hectares | 5 |
| 2010s | 5,033 hectares | 4,334 hectares | 6,018 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 3,564 hectares | 2,554 hectares | 4,542 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More environment data for Sri Lanka
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 5.24 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 5.49 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.207 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.849 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 5.63 % 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 1.22 % 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 Sri Lanka?
- Exported deforestation in Sri Lanka was 2,554 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest exported deforestation recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 6,018 hectares in 2010.
- What is the lowest exported deforestation recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,315 hectares in 2005.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for exported deforestation?
- Sri Lanka ranks 41st out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is exported deforestation rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 47.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.