Imported deforestation in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Imported deforestation was 3,926 hectares in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Imported deforestation in Ethiopia, 2005–2023
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Ethiopia recorded 3,926 hectares for imported deforestation in 2023. That is the highest value across all 19 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.5% on the previous year and up 157.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, imported deforestation in Ethiopia peaked at 3,926 hectares in 2023 and was at its lowest, 464.89 hectares, in 2005.
That places Ethiopia 58th out of 178 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Imported deforestation in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 464.89 hectares | — |
| 2006 | 512.17 hectares | +10.2% |
| 2007 | 558.51 hectares | +9.0% |
| 2008 | 693.73 hectares | +24.2% |
| 2009 | 737.55 hectares | +6.3% |
| 2010 | 884.28 hectares | +19.9% |
| 2011 | 1,072 hectares | +21.2% |
| 2012 | 1,448 hectares | +35.1% |
| 2013 | 1,524 hectares | +5.2% |
| 2014 | 1,431 hectares | -6.1% |
| 2015 | 1,794 hectares | +25.4% |
| 2016 | 1,714 hectares | -4.4% |
| 2017 | 1,572 hectares | -8.3% |
| 2018 | 1,462 hectares | -7.0% |
| 2019 | 1,353 hectares | -7.5% |
| 2020 | 1,451 hectares | +7.2% |
| 2021 | 875.34 hectares | -39.7% |
| 2022 | 3,687 hectares | +321.2% |
| 2023 | 3,926 hectares | +6.5% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 3,926 hectares is above the median for low income countries, which is 1,701 hectares, 2.3× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 3,926 hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1,888 hectares, 2.1× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Imported deforestation in Ethiopia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +321.2% | 875.34 hectares | 3,687 hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 593.37 hectares | 464.89 hectares | 737.55 hectares | 5 |
| 2010s | 1,425 hectares | 884.28 hectares | 1,794 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 2,485 hectares | 875.34 hectares | 3,926 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
More environment data for Ethiopia
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.272 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.39 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.26 % 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 2.83 % 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 0.1478 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is imported deforestation in Ethiopia?
- Imported deforestation in Ethiopia was 3,926 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest imported deforestation recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 3,926 hectares in 2023.
- What is the lowest imported deforestation recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 464.89 hectares in 2005.
- How does Ethiopia rank for imported deforestation?
- Ethiopia ranks 58th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is imported deforestation rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 157.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ethiopia 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.