Imported deforestation in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Imported deforestation was 9,760 hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Imported deforestation in Saudi Arabia, 2005–2023
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Saudi Arabia recorded 9,760 hectares for imported deforestation in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 19 years on record.
The figure is down 15.0% on the previous year and down 68.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, imported deforestation in Saudi Arabia peaked at 36,145 hectares in 2012 and was at its lowest, 9,760 hectares, in 2023.
That places Saudi Arabia 28th out of 178 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.
Imported deforestation in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 17,295 hectares | — |
| 2006 | 19,948 hectares | +15.3% |
| 2007 | 20,047 hectares | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 23,246 hectares | +16.0% |
| 2009 | 30,163 hectares | +29.8% |
| 2010 | 23,333 hectares | -22.6% |
| 2011 | 27,659 hectares | +18.5% |
| 2012 | 36,145 hectares | +30.7% |
| 2013 | 30,976 hectares | -14.3% |
| 2014 | 27,025 hectares | -12.8% |
| 2015 | 22,083 hectares | -18.3% |
| 2016 | 21,391 hectares | -3.1% |
| 2017 | 19,065 hectares | -10.9% |
| 2018 | 17,786 hectares | -6.7% |
| 2019 | 17,905 hectares | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 13,082 hectares | -26.9% |
| 2021 | 10,350 hectares | -20.9% |
| 2022 | 11,486 hectares | +11.0% |
| 2023 | 9,760 hectares | -15.0% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 9,760 hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 2,937 hectares, 3.3× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 9,760 hectares is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 2,937 hectares, 3.3× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 22,140 hectares | 17,295 hectares | 30,163 hectares | 5 |
| 2010s | 24,337 hectares | 17,786 hectares | 36,145 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 11,170 hectares | 9,760 hectares | 13,082 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More environment data for Saudi Arabia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -52.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -27.86 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.424 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.58 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.53 % 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 9.62 % 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 Saudi Arabia?
- Imported deforestation in Saudi Arabia was 9,760 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest imported deforestation recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 36,145 hectares in 2012.
- What is the lowest imported deforestation recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 9,760 hectares in 2023.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for imported deforestation?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 28th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is imported deforestation rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 68.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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.