Exported deforestation in Zambia

Zambia: Exported deforestation was 2,088 hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
2,088 hectares
Change on year
down 11.9%
World rank
42nd
of 178 countries
All-time high
17,692 hectares
in 2012
All-time low
2,088 hectares
in 2023
Years of data
19
2005–2023

Exported deforestation in Zambia, 2005–2023

05.0k10.0k15.0k20.0k2005201420232005: 5.6k hectares2006: 6.4k hectares2007: 7.9k hectares2008: 9.4k hectares2009: 11.1k hectares2010: 14.6k hectares2011: 16.4k hectares2012: 17.7k hectares2013: 12.1k hectares2014: 17.2k hectares2015: 11.7k hectares2016: 14.3k hectares2017: 12.4k hectares2018: 16.4k hectares2019: 13.9k hectares2020: 13.2k hectares2021: 8.3k hectares2022: 2.4k hectares2023: 2.1k hectares

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 39 Guatemala 3,061 hectares compare
  2. 40 Malawi 2,697 hectares compare
  3. 41 Sri Lanka 2,554 hectares compare
  4. 43 Gabon 2,069 hectares compare
  5. 44 Uruguay 1,896 hectares compare
  6. 45 Australia 1,873 hectares compare

See the full ranking of 178 places →

More environment data for Zambia

All data for Zambia →

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

Indicator
Exported deforestation
Unit
hectares
Source
Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
178 places, 3,320 data points, 2005–2023
Last refreshed

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.