Imported deforestation in Kenya

Kenya: Imported deforestation was 5,105 hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
5,105 hectares
Change on year
down 13.2%
World rank
47th
of 178 countries
All-time high
13,304 hectares
in 2021
All-time low
2,453 hectares
in 2005
Years of data
19
2005–2023

Imported deforestation in Kenya, 2005–2023

2.5k5.0k7.5k10.0k12.5k2005201420232005: 2.5k hectares2006: 2.7k hectares2007: 4.2k hectares2008: 5.3k hectares2009: 6.3k hectares2010: 5.4k hectares2011: 10.2k hectares2012: 9.1k hectares2013: 7.5k hectares2014: 8.5k hectares2015: 7.5k hectares2016: 7.2k hectares2017: 11.0k hectares2018: 9.9k hectares2019: 10.4k hectares2020: 9.3k hectares2021: 13.3k hectares2022: 5.9k hectares2023: 5.1k hectares

Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.

Analysis

In 2023, imported deforestation in Kenya stood at 5,105 hectares.

The figure is down 13.2% on the previous year and down 32.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, imported deforestation in Kenya peaked at 13,304 hectares in 2021 and was at its lowest, 2,453 hectares, in 2005.

That places Kenya 47th out of 178 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 4,189 hectares 2,453 hectares 6,335 hectares 5
2010s 8,671 hectares 5,363 hectares 11,015 hectares 10
2020s 8,396 hectares 5,105 hectares 13,304 hectares 4

Countries ranked near Kenya

  1. 44 Bolivia 5,619 hectares compare
  2. 45 Mali 5,407 hectares compare
  3. 46 Nigeria 5,345 hectares compare
  4. 48 Guatemala 4,818 hectares compare
  5. 49 Dominican Republic 4,748 hectares compare
  6. 50 Ghana 4,734 hectares compare

See the full ranking of 178 places →

More environment data for Kenya

All data for Kenya →

Frequently asked questions

What is imported deforestation in Kenya?
Imported deforestation in Kenya was 5,105 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest imported deforestation recorded in Kenya?
The highest recorded value was 13,304 hectares in 2021.
What is the lowest imported deforestation recorded in Kenya?
The lowest recorded value was 2,453 hectares in 2005.
How does Kenya rank for imported deforestation?
Kenya ranks 47th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
Is imported deforestation rising or falling in Kenya?
Over the last ten years it is down 32.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Kenya 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

Indicator
Imported deforestation
Unit
hectares
Source
Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
178 places, 3,320 data points, 2005–2023
Last refreshed

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.