Imported deforestation in South Korea
South Korea: Imported deforestation was 27,738 hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Imported deforestation in South Korea, 2005–2023
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2023, imported deforestation in South Korea stood at 27,738 hectares. That is the lowest value across all 19 years on record.
The figure is down 2.3% on the previous year and down 47.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, imported deforestation in South Korea peaked at 52,756 hectares in 2013 and was at its lowest, 27,738 hectares, in 2023.
South Korea ranks 8th of 178 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 35,235 hectares | 31,297 hectares | 38,177 hectares | 5 |
| 2010s | 46,627 hectares | 39,454 hectares | 52,756 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 29,816 hectares | 27,738 hectares | 32,492 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More environment data for South Korea
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 668.25 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 12.91 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 21.02 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.3304 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 3.86 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.1549 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 44.74 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.2523 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.2291 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 18.6 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is imported deforestation in South Korea?
- Imported deforestation in South Korea was 27,738 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest imported deforestation recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 52,756 hectares in 2013.
- What is the lowest imported deforestation recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 27,738 hectares in 2023.
- How does South Korea rank for imported deforestation?
- South Korea ranks 8th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is imported deforestation rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 47.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South 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.