Imported deforestation in Brazil
Brazil: Imported deforestation was 16,353 hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Imported deforestation in Brazil, 2005–2023
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
The most recent figure for imported deforestation in Brazil is 16,353 hectares, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 19 years on record.
The figure is down 23.0% on the previous year and down 76.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, imported deforestation in Brazil peaked at 70,819 hectares in 2016 and was at its lowest, 16,353 hectares, in 2023.
Brazil ranks 22nd 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 Brazil, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 29,025 hectares | — |
| 2006 | 27,113 hectares | -6.6% |
| 2007 | 38,059 hectares | +40.4% |
| 2008 | 52,461 hectares | +37.8% |
| 2009 | 65,529 hectares | +24.9% |
| 2010 | 53,562 hectares | -18.3% |
| 2011 | 59,035 hectares | +10.2% |
| 2012 | 64,725 hectares | +9.6% |
| 2013 | 70,581 hectares | +9.0% |
| 2014 | 62,451 hectares | -11.5% |
| 2015 | 50,172 hectares | -19.7% |
| 2016 | 70,819 hectares | +41.2% |
| 2017 | 49,963 hectares | -29.4% |
| 2018 | 55,136 hectares | +10.4% |
| 2019 | 40,379 hectares | -26.8% |
| 2020 | 45,230 hectares | +12.0% |
| 2021 | 41,433 hectares | -8.4% |
| 2022 | 21,225 hectares | -48.8% |
| 2023 | 16,353 hectares | -23.0% |
Brazil compared with similar countries
- Brazil's 16,353 hectares is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 2,929 hectares, 5.6× the median. (50 countries reporting)
- Brazil's 16,353 hectares is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 3,121 hectares, 5.2× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 42,437 hectares | 27,113 hectares | 65,529 hectares | 5 |
| 2010s | 57,682 hectares | 40,379 hectares | 70,819 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 31,060 hectares | 16,353 hectares | 45,230 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Brazil
More environment data for Brazil
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -6.93 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -8.24 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.221 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.36 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.155 % 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 -2.73 % 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 Brazil?
- Imported deforestation in Brazil was 16,353 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest imported deforestation recorded in Brazil?
- The highest recorded value was 70,819 hectares in 2016.
- What is the lowest imported deforestation recorded in Brazil?
- The lowest recorded value was 16,353 hectares in 2023.
- How does Brazil rank for imported deforestation?
- Brazil ranks 22nd out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is imported deforestation rising or falling in Brazil?
- Over the last ten years it is down 76.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Brazil 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.