Imported deforestation in New Zealand
New Zealand: Imported deforestation was 2,993 hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Imported deforestation in New Zealand, 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 New Zealand is 2,993 hectares, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 19 years on record.
The figure is down 6.4% on the previous year and down 42.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, imported deforestation in New Zealand peaked at 5,277 hectares in 2012 and was at its lowest, 2,993 hectares, in 2023.
New Zealand ranks 74th of 178 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.
Imported deforestation in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 4,663 hectares | — |
| 2006 | 3,839 hectares | -17.7% |
| 2007 | 5,075 hectares | +32.2% |
| 2008 | 4,835 hectares | -4.7% |
| 2009 | 4,148 hectares | -14.2% |
| 2010 | 3,807 hectares | -8.2% |
| 2011 | 4,106 hectares | +7.9% |
| 2012 | 5,277 hectares | +28.5% |
| 2013 | 5,183 hectares | -1.8% |
| 2014 | 5,019 hectares | -3.2% |
| 2015 | 4,655 hectares | -7.3% |
| 2016 | 4,382 hectares | -5.9% |
| 2017 | 4,957 hectares | +13.1% |
| 2018 | 4,596 hectares | -7.3% |
| 2019 | 3,958 hectares | -13.9% |
| 2020 | 3,447 hectares | -12.9% |
| 2021 | 3,626 hectares | +5.2% |
| 2022 | 3,197 hectares | -11.8% |
| 2023 | 2,993 hectares | -6.4% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 2,993 hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 2,937 hectares, 1.0× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 2,993 hectares is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2,593 hectares, 1.2× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 4,512 hectares | 3,839 hectares | 5,075 hectares | 5 |
| 2010s | 4,594 hectares | 3,807 hectares | 5,277 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 3,316 hectares | 2,993 hectares | 3,626 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More environment data for New Zealand
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -0.2131 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 1.69 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.379 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.23 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -0.474 % 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 -0.9337 % 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 New Zealand?
- Imported deforestation in New Zealand was 2,993 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest imported deforestation recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 5,277 hectares in 2012.
- What is the lowest imported deforestation recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,993 hectares in 2023.
- How does New Zealand rank for imported deforestation?
- New Zealand ranks 74th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is imported deforestation rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 42.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this New Zealand 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.