Imported deforestation in Somalia
Somalia: Imported deforestation was 1,026 hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Imported deforestation in Somalia, 2005–2023
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2023, imported deforestation in Somalia stood at 1,026 hectares. That is the highest value across all 19 years on record.
That represents a change of up 3.2% on the previous year and up 99.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, imported deforestation in Somalia peaked at 1,026 hectares in 2023 and was at its lowest, 229.32 hectares, in 2009.
Somalia ranks 137th of 178 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
Imported deforestation in Somalia, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 250.89 hectares | — |
| 2006 | 290.55 hectares | +15.8% |
| 2007 | 328.39 hectares | +13.0% |
| 2008 | 430.38 hectares | +31.1% |
| 2009 | 229.32 hectares | -46.7% |
| 2010 | 423.91 hectares | +84.9% |
| 2011 | 321.87 hectares | -24.1% |
| 2012 | 574.34 hectares | +78.4% |
| 2013 | 515.55 hectares | -10.2% |
| 2014 | 587.67 hectares | +14.0% |
| 2015 | 540.37 hectares | -8.0% |
| 2016 | 616.31 hectares | +14.1% |
| 2017 | 619.73 hectares | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 489.87 hectares | -21.0% |
| 2019 | 510.2 hectares | +4.2% |
| 2020 | 1,022 hectares | +100.3% |
| 2021 | 954.03 hectares | -6.6% |
| 2022 | 994.62 hectares | +4.3% |
| 2023 | 1,026 hectares | +3.2% |
Somalia compared with similar countries
- Somalia's 1,026 hectares is below the median for low income countries, which is 1,701 hectares, 60% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Somalia's 1,026 hectares is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1,888 hectares, 54% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 305.91 hectares | 229.32 hectares | 430.38 hectares | 5 |
| 2010s | 519.98 hectares | 321.87 hectares | 619.73 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 999.1 hectares | 954.03 hectares | 1,026 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Somalia
More environment data for Somalia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -28.64 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -24.06 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.278 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.53 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.5029 % 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 -0.1376 % 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 Somalia?
- Imported deforestation in Somalia was 1,026 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest imported deforestation recorded in Somalia?
- The highest recorded value was 1,026 hectares in 2023.
- What is the lowest imported deforestation recorded in Somalia?
- The lowest recorded value was 229.32 hectares in 2009.
- How does Somalia rank for imported deforestation?
- Somalia ranks 137th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is imported deforestation rising or falling in Somalia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 99.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Somalia 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.