Imported deforestation in Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone: Imported deforestation was 989.15 hectares in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
989.15 hectares
Change on year
up 2.7%
World rank
139th
of 178 countries
All-time high
2,635 hectares
in 2021
All-time low
247.73 hectares
in 2006
Years of data
19
2005–2023

Imported deforestation in Sierra Leone, 2005–2023

05001.0k1.5k2.0k2.5k2005201420232005: 293.9 hectares2006: 247.7 hectares2007: 399 hectares2008: 462.8 hectares2009: 337.2 hectares2010: 665.5 hectares2011: 1.3k hectares2012: 1.1k hectares2013: 824.9 hectares2014: 1.2k hectares2015: 1.3k hectares2016: 1.6k hectares2017: 1.8k hectares2018: 1.2k hectares2019: 2.1k hectares2020: 2.2k hectares2021: 2.6k hectares2022: 962.7 hectares2023: 989.1 hectares

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

Analysis

Sierra Leone recorded 989.15 hectares for imported deforestation in 2023.

The figure is up 2.7% on the previous year and up 19.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, imported deforestation in Sierra Leone peaked at 2,635 hectares in 2021 and was at its lowest, 247.73 hectares, in 2006.

That places Sierra Leone 139th out of 178 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 348.12 hectares 247.73 hectares 462.79 hectares 5
2010s 1,301 hectares 665.5 hectares 2,149 hectares 10
2020s 1,693 hectares 962.68 hectares 2,635 hectares 4

Countries ranked near Sierra Leone

  1. 136 Djibouti 1,034 hectares compare
  2. 137 Somalia 1,026 hectares compare
  3. 138 Central African Republic 1,012 hectares compare
  4. 140 Burundi 982.24 hectares compare
  5. 141 Tunisia 969.4 hectares compare
  6. 142 Kazakhstan 949.59 hectares compare

See the full ranking of 178 places →

More environment data for Sierra Leone

All data for Sierra Leone →

Frequently asked questions

What is imported deforestation in Sierra Leone?
Imported deforestation in Sierra Leone was 989.15 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest imported deforestation recorded in Sierra Leone?
The highest recorded value was 2,635 hectares in 2021.
What is the lowest imported deforestation recorded in Sierra Leone?
The lowest recorded value was 247.73 hectares in 2006.
How does Sierra Leone rank for imported deforestation?
Sierra Leone ranks 139th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
Is imported deforestation rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
Over the last ten years it is up 19.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Sierra Leone 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.