Imported deforestation in North Korea
North Korea: Imported deforestation was 774.74 hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Imported deforestation in North Korea, 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 North Korea is 774.74 hectares, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 19 years on record.
That represents a change of up 5.0% on the previous year and up 228.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, imported deforestation in North Korea peaked at 774.74 hectares in 2023 and was at its lowest, 127.66 hectares, in 2021.
North Korea ranks 143rd of 178 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
Imported deforestation in North Korea, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 367.48 hectares | — |
| 2006 | 406.75 hectares | +10.7% |
| 2007 | 340.34 hectares | -16.3% |
| 2008 | 328.06 hectares | -3.6% |
| 2009 | 546.45 hectares | +66.6% |
| 2010 | 192.27 hectares | -64.8% |
| 2011 | 201.97 hectares | +5.0% |
| 2012 | 276.98 hectares | +37.1% |
| 2013 | 235.6 hectares | -14.9% |
| 2014 | 347.77 hectares | +47.6% |
| 2015 | 380.05 hectares | +9.3% |
| 2016 | 401.45 hectares | +5.6% |
| 2017 | 348.66 hectares | -13.1% |
| 2018 | 348.75 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 328.32 hectares | -5.9% |
| 2020 | 171.53 hectares | -47.8% |
| 2021 | 127.66 hectares | -25.6% |
| 2022 | 737.71 hectares | +477.9% |
| 2023 | 774.74 hectares | +5.0% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 774.74 hectares is below the median for low income countries, which is 1,701 hectares, 46% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 774.74 hectares is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2,593 hectares, 30% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Imported deforestation in North Korea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +477.9% | 127.66 hectares | 737.71 hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 397.82 hectares | 328.06 hectares | 546.45 hectares | 5 |
| 2010s | 306.18 hectares | 192.27 hectares | 401.45 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 452.91 hectares | 127.66 hectares | 774.74 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
More environment data for North Korea
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 2.89 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 3.16 Percentage change (2025)
- Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e) 0.8843 % change on previous year (2024)
- Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from Industrial Processes (Mt CO2e) 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e) 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt) 0.9455 % change on previous year (2024)
- Heating Degree Days 6,917 (2024)
- Cooling Degree Days 854.46 (2024)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual -0.97 % change on previous year (2024)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e) 0.7752 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is imported deforestation in North Korea?
- Imported deforestation in North Korea was 774.74 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest imported deforestation recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 774.74 hectares in 2023.
- What is the lowest imported deforestation recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 127.66 hectares in 2021.
- How does North Korea rank for imported deforestation?
- North Korea ranks 143rd out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is imported deforestation rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 228.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this North Korea 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.