Imported deforestation in Nigeria

Nigeria: Imported deforestation was 5,345 hectares in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
5,345 hectares
Change on year
down 11.4%
World rank
46th
of 178 countries
All-time high
45,782 hectares
in 2012
All-time low
3,608 hectares
in 2006
Years of data
19
2005–2023

Imported deforestation in Nigeria, 2005–2023

010.0k20.0k30.0k40.0k50.0k2005201420232005: 8.1k hectares2006: 3.6k hectares2007: 7.5k hectares2008: 11.4k hectares2009: 6.6k hectares2010: 10.2k hectares2011: 12.2k hectares2012: 45.8k hectares2013: 13.2k hectares2014: 15.8k hectares2015: 10.7k hectares2016: 8.3k hectares2017: 9.2k hectares2018: 9.7k hectares2019: 11.7k hectares2020: 9.2k hectares2021: 6.4k hectares2022: 6.0k hectares2023: 5.3k hectares

Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.

Analysis

Nigeria recorded 5,345 hectares for imported deforestation in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 11.4% on the previous year and down 59.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, imported deforestation in Nigeria peaked at 45,782 hectares in 2012 and was at its lowest, 3,608 hectares, in 2006.

That places Nigeria 46th out of 178 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 7,460 hectares 3,608 hectares 11,420 hectares 5
2010s 14,671 hectares 8,266 hectares 45,782 hectares 10
2020s 6,732 hectares 5,345 hectares 9,195 hectares 4

Countries ranked near Nigeria

  1. 43 Iraq 5,824 hectares compare
  2. 44 Bolivia 5,619 hectares compare
  3. 45 Mali 5,407 hectares compare
  4. 47 Kenya 5,105 hectares compare
  5. 48 Guatemala 4,818 hectares compare
  6. 49 Dominican Republic 4,748 hectares compare

See the full ranking of 178 places →

More environment data for Nigeria

All data for Nigeria →

Frequently asked questions

What is imported deforestation in Nigeria?
Imported deforestation in Nigeria was 5,345 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest imported deforestation recorded in Nigeria?
The highest recorded value was 45,782 hectares in 2012.
What is the lowest imported deforestation recorded in Nigeria?
The lowest recorded value was 3,608 hectares in 2006.
How does Nigeria rank for imported deforestation?
Nigeria ranks 46th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
Is imported deforestation rising or falling in Nigeria?
Over the last ten years it is down 59.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Nigeria 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

Indicator
Imported deforestation
Unit
hectares
Source
Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
178 places, 3,320 data points, 2005–2023
Last refreshed

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.