Imported deforestation in Germany
Germany: Imported deforestation was 48,137 hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Imported deforestation in Germany, 2005–2023
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2023, imported deforestation in Germany stood at 48,137 hectares. That is the lowest value across all 19 years on record.
That represents a change of down 9.7% on the previous year and down 34.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, imported deforestation in Germany peaked at 87,272 hectares in 2008 and was at its lowest, 48,137 hectares, in 2023.
That places Germany 4th out of 178 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.
Imported deforestation in Germany, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 78,347 hectares | — |
| 2006 | 81,958 hectares | +4.6% |
| 2007 | 84,848 hectares | +3.5% |
| 2008 | 87,272 hectares | +2.9% |
| 2009 | 86,353 hectares | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 73,674 hectares | -14.7% |
| 2011 | 77,948 hectares | +5.8% |
| 2012 | 79,962 hectares | +2.6% |
| 2013 | 73,791 hectares | -7.7% |
| 2014 | 72,682 hectares | -1.5% |
| 2015 | 68,924 hectares | -5.2% |
| 2016 | 81,940 hectares | +18.9% |
| 2017 | 84,956 hectares | +3.7% |
| 2018 | 81,290 hectares | -4.3% |
| 2019 | 72,731 hectares | -10.5% |
| 2020 | 67,928 hectares | -6.6% |
| 2021 | 64,722 hectares | -4.7% |
| 2022 | 53,284 hectares | -17.7% |
| 2023 | 48,137 hectares | -9.7% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 48,137 hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 2,937 hectares, 16.4× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Germany's 48,137 hectares is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2,378 hectares, 20.2× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 83,756 hectares | 78,347 hectares | 87,272 hectares | 5 |
| 2010s | 76,790 hectares | 68,924 hectares | 84,956 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 58,518 hectares | 48,137 hectares | 67,928 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Germany
More environment data for Germany
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -4.12 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -4.36 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.613 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.11 °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 -0.0079 % 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 Germany?
- Imported deforestation in Germany was 48,137 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest imported deforestation recorded in Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 87,272 hectares in 2008.
- What is the lowest imported deforestation recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 48,137 hectares in 2023.
- How does Germany rank for imported deforestation?
- Germany ranks 4th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is imported deforestation rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is down 34.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Germany 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.