Imported deforestation in South Africa
South Africa: Imported deforestation was 6,859 hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Imported deforestation in South Africa, 2005–2023
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 6,859 hectares for imported deforestation in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 19 years on record.
The figure is down 11.7% on the previous year and down 77.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, imported deforestation in South Africa peaked at 42,807 hectares in 2012 and was at its lowest, 6,859 hectares, in 2023.
That places South Africa 40th 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 South Africa, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 12,321 hectares | — |
| 2006 | 30,133 hectares | +144.6% |
| 2007 | 19,792 hectares | -34.3% |
| 2008 | 19,583 hectares | -1.1% |
| 2009 | 22,910 hectares | +17.0% |
| 2010 | 25,580 hectares | +11.7% |
| 2011 | 28,526 hectares | +11.5% |
| 2012 | 42,807 hectares | +50.1% |
| 2013 | 29,968 hectares | -30.0% |
| 2014 | 25,564 hectares | -14.7% |
| 2015 | 26,490 hectares | +3.6% |
| 2016 | 28,990 hectares | +9.4% |
| 2017 | 30,048 hectares | +3.7% |
| 2018 | 24,983 hectares | -16.9% |
| 2019 | 20,873 hectares | -16.5% |
| 2020 | 8,241 hectares | -60.5% |
| 2021 | 10,562 hectares | +28.2% |
| 2022 | 7,768 hectares | -26.5% |
| 2023 | 6,859 hectares | -11.7% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 6,859 hectares is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 2,929 hectares, 2.3× the median. (50 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 6,859 hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1,888 hectares, 3.6× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 20,948 hectares | 12,321 hectares | 30,133 hectares | 5 |
| 2010s | 28,383 hectares | 20,873 hectares | 42,807 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 8,358 hectares | 6,859 hectares | 10,562 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More environment data for South Africa
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 5.46 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 8.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.275 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.05 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.59 % 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 0.2953 % 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 South Africa?
- Imported deforestation in South Africa was 6,859 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest imported deforestation recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 42,807 hectares in 2012.
- What is the lowest imported deforestation recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 6,859 hectares in 2023.
- How does South Africa rank for imported deforestation?
- South Africa ranks 40th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is imported deforestation rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 77.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa 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.