Imported deforestation in Spain
Spain: Imported deforestation was 20,872 hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Imported deforestation in Spain, 2005–2023
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2023, imported deforestation in Spain stood at 20,872 hectares. That is the lowest value across all 19 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 10.4% on the previous year and down 53.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, imported deforestation in Spain peaked at 55,903 hectares in 2008 and was at its lowest, 20,872 hectares, in 2023.
Spain ranks 13th of 178 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.
Imported deforestation in Spain, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 48,106 hectares | — |
| 2006 | 47,244 hectares | -1.8% |
| 2007 | 52,501 hectares | +11.1% |
| 2008 | 55,903 hectares | +6.5% |
| 2009 | 41,709 hectares | -25.4% |
| 2010 | 41,680 hectares | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 48,426 hectares | +16.2% |
| 2012 | 48,412 hectares | -0.0% |
| 2013 | 44,774 hectares | -7.5% |
| 2014 | 38,501 hectares | -14.0% |
| 2015 | 35,860 hectares | -6.9% |
| 2016 | 46,179 hectares | +28.8% |
| 2017 | 39,838 hectares | -13.7% |
| 2018 | 38,843 hectares | -2.5% |
| 2019 | 33,639 hectares | -13.4% |
| 2020 | 30,315 hectares | -9.9% |
| 2021 | 30,252 hectares | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 23,298 hectares | -23.0% |
| 2023 | 20,872 hectares | -10.4% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 20,872 hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 2,937 hectares, 7.1× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Spain's 20,872 hectares is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2,378 hectares, 8.8× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 49,092 hectares | 41,709 hectares | 55,903 hectares | 5 |
| 2010s | 41,615 hectares | 33,639 hectares | 48,426 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 26,184 hectares | 20,872 hectares | 30,315 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More environment data for Spain
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -1.67 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -1.4 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.402 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.3 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -0.4277 % 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 -0.5136 % 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 Spain?
- Imported deforestation in Spain was 20,872 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest imported deforestation recorded in Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 55,903 hectares in 2008.
- What is the lowest imported deforestation recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 20,872 hectares in 2023.
- How does Spain rank for imported deforestation?
- Spain ranks 13th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is imported deforestation rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is down 53.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Spain 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.