Exported deforestation in Zambia
Zambia: Exported deforestation was 2,088 hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Exported deforestation in Zambia, 2005–2023
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2023, exported deforestation in Zambia stood at 2,088 hectares. That is the lowest value across all 19 years on record.
The figure is down 11.9% on the previous year and down 82.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exported deforestation in Zambia peaked at 17,692 hectares in 2012 and was at its lowest, 2,088 hectares, in 2023.
Zambia ranks 42nd 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 Zambia, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 5,646 hectares | — |
| 2006 | 6,369 hectares | +12.8% |
| 2007 | 7,888 hectares | +23.9% |
| 2008 | 9,423 hectares | +19.5% |
| 2009 | 11,062 hectares | +17.4% |
| 2010 | 14,636 hectares | +32.3% |
| 2011 | 16,432 hectares | +12.3% |
| 2012 | 17,692 hectares | +7.7% |
| 2013 | 12,099 hectares | -31.6% |
| 2014 | 17,204 hectares | +42.2% |
| 2015 | 11,666 hectares | -32.2% |
| 2016 | 14,308 hectares | +22.6% |
| 2017 | 12,397 hectares | -13.4% |
| 2018 | 16,420 hectares | +32.5% |
| 2019 | 13,910 hectares | -15.3% |
| 2020 | 13,244 hectares | -4.8% |
| 2021 | 8,280 hectares | -37.5% |
| 2022 | 2,370 hectares | -71.4% |
| 2023 | 2,088 hectares | -11.9% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 2,088 hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 183.42 hectares, 11.4× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 2,088 hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 578.35 hectares, 3.6× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 8,077 hectares | 5,646 hectares | 11,062 hectares | 5 |
| 2010s | 14,676 hectares | 11,666 hectares | 17,692 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 6,496 hectares | 2,088 hectares | 13,244 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More environment data for Zambia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -2.98 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -3.03 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.265 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.11 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.74 % 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 3.49 % 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 Zambia?
- Exported deforestation in Zambia was 2,088 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest exported deforestation recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 17,692 hectares in 2012.
- What is the lowest exported deforestation recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,088 hectares in 2023.
- How does Zambia rank for exported deforestation?
- Zambia ranks 42nd out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is exported deforestation rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 82.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia 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.