Imported deforestation in Laos
Laos: Imported deforestation was 388.63 hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Imported deforestation in Laos, 2005–2023
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Laos recorded 388.63 hectares for imported deforestation in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 231.2% on the previous year and down 29.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, imported deforestation in Laos peaked at 734.65 hectares in 2017 and was at its lowest, 117.34 hectares, in 2022.
That places Laos 149th out of 178 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
Imported deforestation in Laos, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 193.19 hectares | — |
| 2006 | 163.81 hectares | -15.2% |
| 2007 | 233.51 hectares | +42.5% |
| 2008 | 259.95 hectares | +11.3% |
| 2009 | 364.63 hectares | +40.3% |
| 2010 | 499.02 hectares | +36.9% |
| 2011 | 449.58 hectares | -9.9% |
| 2012 | 695.43 hectares | +54.7% |
| 2013 | 554.69 hectares | -20.2% |
| 2014 | 542.99 hectares | -2.1% |
| 2015 | 615.33 hectares | +13.3% |
| 2016 | 575.81 hectares | -6.4% |
| 2017 | 734.65 hectares | +27.6% |
| 2018 | 657.09 hectares | -10.6% |
| 2019 | 698.42 hectares | +6.3% |
| 2020 | 597.89 hectares | -14.4% |
| 2021 | 588.81 hectares | -1.5% |
| 2022 | 117.34 hectares | -80.1% |
| 2023 | 388.63 hectares | +231.2% |
Laos compared with similar countries
- Laos's 388.63 hectares is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2,331 hectares, 17% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Laos's 388.63 hectares is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2,593 hectares, 15% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Imported deforestation in Laos 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | +231.2% | 117.34 hectares | 388.63 hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 243.02 hectares | 163.81 hectares | 364.63 hectares | 5 |
| 2010s | 602.3 hectares | 449.58 hectares | 734.65 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 423.17 hectares | 117.34 hectares | 597.89 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Laos
More environment data for Laos
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -1.77 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -1.51 Percentage change (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.9142 % 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 0.4183 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per unit of 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is imported deforestation in Laos?
- Imported deforestation in Laos was 388.63 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest imported deforestation recorded in Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 734.65 hectares in 2017.
- What is the lowest imported deforestation recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 117.34 hectares in 2022.
- How does Laos rank for imported deforestation?
- Laos ranks 149th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is imported deforestation rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Laos 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.