Imported deforestation in China
China: Imported deforestation was 231,151 hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Imported deforestation in China, 2005–2023
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
China recorded 231,151 hectares for imported deforestation in 2023.
The figure is down 14.2% on the previous year and down 39.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, imported deforestation in China peaked at 393,497 hectares in 2015 and was at its lowest, 144,893 hectares, in 2005.
China ranks 1st of 178 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
Imported deforestation in China, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 144,893 hectares | — |
| 2006 | 157,538 hectares | +8.7% |
| 2007 | 165,866 hectares | +5.3% |
| 2008 | 217,796 hectares | +31.3% |
| 2009 | 273,582 hectares | +25.6% |
| 2010 | 296,157 hectares | +8.3% |
| 2011 | 288,850 hectares | -2.5% |
| 2012 | 336,873 hectares | +16.6% |
| 2013 | 380,317 hectares | +12.9% |
| 2014 | 384,193 hectares | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 393,497 hectares | +2.4% |
| 2016 | 333,168 hectares | -15.3% |
| 2017 | 347,926 hectares | +4.4% |
| 2018 | 337,956 hectares | -2.9% |
| 2019 | 298,997 hectares | -11.5% |
| 2020 | 303,840 hectares | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 288,629 hectares | -5.0% |
| 2022 | 269,368 hectares | -6.7% |
| 2023 | 231,151 hectares | -14.2% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 231,151 hectares is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 2,929 hectares, 78.9× the median. (50 countries reporting)
- China's 231,151 hectares is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2,593 hectares, 89.1× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 191,935 hectares | 144,893 hectares | 273,582 hectares | 5 |
| 2010s | 339,793 hectares | 288,850 hectares | 393,497 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 273,247 hectares | 231,151 hectares | 303,840 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near China
More environment data for China
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.279 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.92 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.8065 % 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 -0.2517 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual 0.9037 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is imported deforestation in China?
- Imported deforestation in China was 231,151 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest imported deforestation recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 393,497 hectares in 2015.
- What is the lowest imported deforestation recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 144,893 hectares in 2005.
- How does China rank for imported deforestation?
- China ranks 1st out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is imported deforestation rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 39.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China 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.