Imported deforestation in Ireland
Ireland: Imported deforestation was 1,878 hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Imported deforestation in Ireland, 2005–2023
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2023, imported deforestation in Ireland stood at 1,878 hectares. That is the lowest value across all 19 years on record.
That represents a change of down 8.7% on the previous year and down 41.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, imported deforestation in Ireland peaked at 6,489 hectares in 2019 and was at its lowest, 1,878 hectares, in 2023.
Ireland ranks 105th of 178 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.
Imported deforestation in Ireland, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 4,452 hectares | — |
| 2006 | 4,960 hectares | +11.4% |
| 2007 | 5,289 hectares | +6.6% |
| 2008 | 5,258 hectares | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 4,699 hectares | -10.6% |
| 2010 | 3,846 hectares | -18.2% |
| 2011 | 3,970 hectares | +3.2% |
| 2012 | 3,845 hectares | -3.2% |
| 2013 | 3,205 hectares | -16.6% |
| 2014 | 3,950 hectares | +23.3% |
| 2015 | 4,075 hectares | +3.2% |
| 2016 | 5,622 hectares | +38.0% |
| 2017 | 5,658 hectares | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 5,940 hectares | +5.0% |
| 2019 | 6,489 hectares | +9.2% |
| 2020 | 4,957 hectares | -23.6% |
| 2021 | 3,508 hectares | -29.2% |
| 2022 | 2,058 hectares | -41.3% |
| 2023 | 1,878 hectares | -8.7% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 1,878 hectares is below the median for high income countries, which is 2,937 hectares, 64% of the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 1,878 hectares is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2,378 hectares, 79% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 4,932 hectares | 4,452 hectares | 5,289 hectares | 5 |
| 2010s | 4,660 hectares | 3,205 hectares | 6,489 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 3,100 hectares | 1,878 hectares | 4,957 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More environment data for Ireland
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 2.51 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 2.17 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.412 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.89 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -1.13 % 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 -0.0083 % 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 Ireland?
- Imported deforestation in Ireland was 1,878 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest imported deforestation recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 6,489 hectares in 2019.
- What is the lowest imported deforestation recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,878 hectares in 2023.
- How does Ireland rank for imported deforestation?
- Ireland ranks 105th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is imported deforestation rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 41.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland 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.