Imported deforestation in Malawi
Malawi: Imported deforestation was 1,384 hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Imported deforestation in Malawi, 2005–2023
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2023, imported deforestation in Malawi stood at 1,384 hectares.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.2% on the previous year and up 42.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, imported deforestation in Malawi peaked at 1,773 hectares in 2019 and was at its lowest, 419.02 hectares, in 2006.
Malawi ranks 127th of 178 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
Imported deforestation in Malawi, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 539.3 hectares | — |
| 2006 | 419.02 hectares | -22.3% |
| 2007 | 512.79 hectares | +22.4% |
| 2008 | 657.3 hectares | +28.2% |
| 2009 | 889.85 hectares | +35.4% |
| 2010 | 846.54 hectares | -4.9% |
| 2011 | 1,063 hectares | +25.5% |
| 2012 | 789.86 hectares | -25.7% |
| 2013 | 969.05 hectares | +22.7% |
| 2014 | 1,271 hectares | +31.1% |
| 2015 | 934 hectares | -26.5% |
| 2016 | 1,061 hectares | +13.6% |
| 2017 | 807.18 hectares | -23.9% |
| 2018 | 804.6 hectares | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 1,773 hectares | +120.3% |
| 2020 | 1,200 hectares | -32.3% |
| 2021 | 777.8 hectares | -35.2% |
| 2022 | 1,400 hectares | +80.0% |
| 2023 | 1,384 hectares | -1.2% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 1,384 hectares is below the median for low income countries, which is 1,701 hectares, 81% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 1,384 hectares is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1,888 hectares, 73% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 603.65 hectares | 419.02 hectares | 889.85 hectares | 5 |
| 2010s | 1,032 hectares | 789.86 hectares | 1,773 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,191 hectares | 777.8 hectares | 1,400 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More environment data for Malawi
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -0.9153 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -0.8098 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.254 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.07 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 3.65 % 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 5.3 % 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 Malawi?
- Imported deforestation in Malawi was 1,384 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest imported deforestation recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 1,773 hectares in 2019.
- What is the lowest imported deforestation recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 419.02 hectares in 2006.
- How does Malawi rank for imported deforestation?
- Malawi ranks 127th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is imported deforestation rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 42.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi 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.