Imported deforestation in Belgium
Belgium: Imported deforestation was 7,460 hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Imported deforestation in Belgium, 2005–2023
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2023, imported deforestation in Belgium stood at 7,460 hectares. That is the lowest value across all 19 years on record.
The figure is down 18.0% on the previous year and down 36.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, imported deforestation in Belgium peaked at 16,889 hectares in 2008 and was at its lowest, 7,460 hectares, in 2023.
Belgium ranks 36th 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.
Imported deforestation in Belgium, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 15,513 hectares | — |
| 2006 | 14,944 hectares | -3.7% |
| 2007 | 15,183 hectares | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 16,889 hectares | +11.2% |
| 2009 | 12,368 hectares | -26.8% |
| 2010 | 16,694 hectares | +35.0% |
| 2011 | 15,499 hectares | -7.2% |
| 2012 | 14,344 hectares | -7.4% |
| 2013 | 11,697 hectares | -18.5% |
| 2014 | 13,076 hectares | +11.8% |
| 2015 | 13,571 hectares | +3.8% |
| 2016 | 16,078 hectares | +18.5% |
| 2017 | 16,055 hectares | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 15,376 hectares | -4.2% |
| 2019 | 14,308 hectares | -6.9% |
| 2020 | 11,022 hectares | -23.0% |
| 2021 | 10,956 hectares | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 9,094 hectares | -17.0% |
| 2023 | 7,460 hectares | -18.0% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 7,460 hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 2,937 hectares, 2.5× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 7,460 hectares is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2,378 hectares, 3.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 14,979 hectares | 12,368 hectares | 16,889 hectares | 5 |
| 2010s | 14,670 hectares | 11,697 hectares | 16,694 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 9,633 hectares | 7,460 hectares | 11,022 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
More environment data for Belgium
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -5.46 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -6.46 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.574 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.19 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.5577 % 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 0.0605 % 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 imported deforestation in Belgium?
- Imported deforestation in Belgium was 7,460 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest imported deforestation recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 16,889 hectares in 2008.
- What is the lowest imported deforestation recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 7,460 hectares in 2023.
- How does Belgium rank for imported deforestation?
- Belgium ranks 36th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is imported deforestation rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is down 36.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Imported 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
Imported deforestation is the amount of deforestation in other countries that is driven by the production of food and forestry products that are imported. This is measured in hectares.