Imported deforestation in India
India: Imported deforestation was 55,698 hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Imported deforestation in India, 2005–2023
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
The most recent figure for imported deforestation in India is 55,698 hectares, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 19 years on record.
That represents a change of down 13.7% on the previous year and down 41.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, imported deforestation in India peaked at 142,729 hectares in 2014 and was at its lowest, 55,698 hectares, in 2023.
That places India 3rd 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 India, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 65,403 hectares | — |
| 2006 | 70,769 hectares | +8.2% |
| 2007 | 99,931 hectares | +41.2% |
| 2008 | 109,524 hectares | +9.6% |
| 2009 | 117,514 hectares | +7.3% |
| 2010 | 108,440 hectares | -7.7% |
| 2011 | 108,057 hectares | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 129,041 hectares | +19.4% |
| 2013 | 95,043 hectares | -26.3% |
| 2014 | 142,729 hectares | +50.2% |
| 2015 | 135,200 hectares | -5.3% |
| 2016 | 127,135 hectares | -6.0% |
| 2017 | 96,495 hectares | -24.1% |
| 2018 | 75,963 hectares | -21.3% |
| 2019 | 66,852 hectares | -12.0% |
| 2020 | 81,395 hectares | +21.8% |
| 2021 | 85,987 hectares | +5.6% |
| 2022 | 64,555 hectares | -24.9% |
| 2023 | 55,698 hectares | -13.7% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 55,698 hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2,331 hectares, 23.9× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- India's 55,698 hectares is above the median for South Asia, which is 4,597 hectares, 12.1× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 92,628 hectares | 65,403 hectares | 117,514 hectares | 5 |
| 2010s | 108,496 hectares | 66,852 hectares | 142,729 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 71,909 hectares | 55,698 hectares | 85,987 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near India
- 1 China 231,151 hectares compare
- 2 United States 198,489 hectares compare
- 4 Germany 48,137 hectares compare
- 5 Japan 44,920 hectares compare
- 6 United Kingdom 29,134 hectares compare
More environment data for India
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 11.05 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 12.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.254 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.954 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 3.92 % 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 1.12 % 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 India?
- Imported deforestation in India was 55,698 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest imported deforestation recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 142,729 hectares in 2014.
- What is the lowest imported deforestation recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 55,698 hectares in 2023.
- How does India rank for imported deforestation?
- India ranks 3rd out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is imported deforestation rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 41.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India 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.