Imported deforestation in Malaysia
Malaysia: Imported deforestation was 17,987 hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Imported deforestation in Malaysia, 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 Malaysia is 17,987 hectares, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 5.9% on the previous year and down 37.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, imported deforestation in Malaysia peaked at 34,678 hectares in 2014 and was at its lowest, 15,602 hectares, in 2005.
That places Malaysia 17th out of 178 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
Imported deforestation in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 15,602 hectares | — |
| 2006 | 20,182 hectares | +29.4% |
| 2007 | 20,218 hectares | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 23,957 hectares | +18.5% |
| 2009 | 22,217 hectares | -7.3% |
| 2010 | 24,218 hectares | +9.0% |
| 2011 | 28,551 hectares | +17.9% |
| 2012 | 29,530 hectares | +3.4% |
| 2013 | 28,720 hectares | -2.7% |
| 2014 | 34,678 hectares | +20.7% |
| 2015 | 26,168 hectares | -24.5% |
| 2016 | 26,210 hectares | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 30,498 hectares | +16.4% |
| 2018 | 32,655 hectares | +7.1% |
| 2019 | 28,185 hectares | -13.7% |
| 2020 | 25,664 hectares | -8.9% |
| 2021 | 20,800 hectares | -19.0% |
| 2022 | 16,978 hectares | -18.4% |
| 2023 | 17,987 hectares | +5.9% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 17,987 hectares is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 2,929 hectares, 6.1× the median. (50 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 17,987 hectares is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2,593 hectares, 6.9× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 20,435 hectares | 15,602 hectares | 23,957 hectares | 5 |
| 2010s | 28,941 hectares | 24,218 hectares | 34,678 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 20,357 hectares | 16,978 hectares | 25,664 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More environment data for Malaysia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -1.65 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -1.9 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.179 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.25 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 4.33 % 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 0.9114 % 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 Malaysia?
- Imported deforestation in Malaysia was 17,987 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest imported deforestation recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 34,678 hectares in 2014.
- What is the lowest imported deforestation recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 15,602 hectares in 2005.
- How does Malaysia rank for imported deforestation?
- Malaysia ranks 17th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is imported deforestation rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 37.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malaysia 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.