Imported deforestation in Iceland
Iceland: Imported deforestation was 149.22 hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Imported deforestation in Iceland, 2005–2023
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2023, imported deforestation in Iceland stood at 149.22 hectares. That is the lowest value across all 19 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.8% on the previous year and down 18.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, imported deforestation in Iceland peaked at 386.35 hectares in 2007 and was at its lowest, 149.22 hectares, in 2023.
That places Iceland 154th out of 178 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.
Imported deforestation in Iceland, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 384.06 hectares | — |
| 2006 | 379.35 hectares | -1.2% |
| 2007 | 386.35 hectares | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 278.87 hectares | -27.8% |
| 2009 | 190.27 hectares | -31.8% |
| 2010 | 174.33 hectares | -8.4% |
| 2011 | 193.12 hectares | +10.8% |
| 2012 | 186.39 hectares | -3.5% |
| 2013 | 183.13 hectares | -1.7% |
| 2014 | 193.44 hectares | +5.6% |
| 2015 | 175.83 hectares | -9.1% |
| 2016 | 232.14 hectares | +32.0% |
| 2017 | 281.12 hectares | +21.1% |
| 2018 | 284.51 hectares | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 245.27 hectares | -13.8% |
| 2020 | 182.29 hectares | -25.7% |
| 2021 | 191.18 hectares | +4.9% |
| 2022 | 163.7 hectares | -14.4% |
| 2023 | 149.22 hectares | -8.8% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 149.22 hectares is below the median for high income countries, which is 2,937 hectares, 5% of the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 149.22 hectares is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2,378 hectares, 6% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 323.78 hectares | 190.27 hectares | 386.35 hectares | 5 |
| 2010s | 214.93 hectares | 174.33 hectares | 284.51 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 171.6 hectares | 149.22 hectares | 191.18 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 151 Brunei 305.27 hectares compare
- 152 Latvia 242.99 hectares compare
- 153 Cyprus 210.27 hectares compare
- 155 Malta 92.61 hectares compare
- 156 Antigua and Barbuda 0 hectares
- 156 Barbados 0 hectares
- 156 Cape Verde 0 hectares
- 156 Comoros 0 hectares
- 156 Dominica 0 hectares
- 156 East Timor 0 hectares
- 156 Eswatini 0 hectares
- 156 Fiji 0 hectares
- 156 Grenada 0 hectares
- 156 Guinea-Bissau 0 hectares
- 156 Guyana 0 hectares
- 156 Lesotho 0 hectares
- 156 Mauritius 0 hectares
- 156 New Caledonia 0 hectares
- 156 Puerto Rico 0 hectares
- 156 Saint Kitts and Nevis 0 hectares
- 156 Saint Lucia 0 hectares
- 156 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0 hectares
- 156 Solomon Islands 0 hectares
- 156 Suriname 0 hectares
- 156 Taiwan 0 hectares
- 156 Trinidad and Tobago 0 hectares
- 156 Vanuatu 0 hectares
More environment data for Iceland
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 3.89 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.587 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.47 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.8549 % 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 -1.93 % 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is imported deforestation in Iceland?
- Imported deforestation in Iceland was 149.22 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest imported deforestation recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 386.35 hectares in 2007.
- What is the lowest imported deforestation recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 149.22 hectares in 2023.
- How does Iceland rank for imported deforestation?
- Iceland ranks 154th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is imported deforestation rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iceland 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.