Imported deforestation in Ecuador
Ecuador: Imported deforestation was 7,461 hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Imported deforestation in Ecuador, 2005–2023
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2023, imported deforestation in Ecuador stood at 7,461 hectares.
That represents a change of down 4.0% on the previous year and down 5.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, imported deforestation in Ecuador peaked at 9,702 hectares in 2014 and was at its lowest, 3,327 hectares, in 2020.
That places Ecuador 35th out of 178 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.
Imported deforestation in Ecuador, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6,136 hectares | — |
| 2006 | 5,178 hectares | -15.6% |
| 2007 | 5,041 hectares | -2.7% |
| 2008 | 7,258 hectares | +44.0% |
| 2009 | 7,475 hectares | +3.0% |
| 2010 | 8,245 hectares | +10.3% |
| 2011 | 8,788 hectares | +6.6% |
| 2012 | 9,503 hectares | +8.1% |
| 2013 | 7,855 hectares | -17.3% |
| 2014 | 9,702 hectares | +23.5% |
| 2015 | 3,971 hectares | -59.1% |
| 2016 | 5,370 hectares | +35.2% |
| 2017 | 4,671 hectares | -13.0% |
| 2018 | 5,502 hectares | +17.8% |
| 2019 | 6,427 hectares | +16.8% |
| 2020 | 3,327 hectares | -48.2% |
| 2021 | 4,739 hectares | +42.5% |
| 2022 | 7,775 hectares | +64.1% |
| 2023 | 7,461 hectares | -4.0% |
Ecuador compared with similar countries
- Ecuador's 7,461 hectares is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 2,929 hectares, 2.5× the median. (50 countries reporting)
- Ecuador's 7,461 hectares is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 3,121 hectares, 2.4× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6,218 hectares | 5,041 hectares | 7,475 hectares | 5 |
| 2010s | 7,004 hectares | 3,971 hectares | 9,702 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 5,826 hectares | 3,327 hectares | 7,775 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ecuador
More environment data for Ecuador
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 0.3767 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -1.05 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.4 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.49 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.65 % 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 -1.14 % 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 Ecuador?
- Imported deforestation in Ecuador was 7,461 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest imported deforestation recorded in Ecuador?
- The highest recorded value was 9,702 hectares in 2014.
- What is the lowest imported deforestation recorded in Ecuador?
- The lowest recorded value was 3,327 hectares in 2020.
- How does Ecuador rank for imported deforestation?
- Ecuador ranks 35th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is imported deforestation rising or falling in Ecuador?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ecuador 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.