Imported deforestation in United States
United States: Imported deforestation was 198,489 hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Imported deforestation in United States, 2005–2023
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
United States recorded 198,489 hectares for imported deforestation in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 7.7% on the previous year and up 6.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, imported deforestation in United States peaked at 254,798 hectares in 2018 and was at its lowest, 183,601 hectares, in 2010.
That places United States 2nd out of 178 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 201,429 hectares | 188,303 hectares | 217,538 hectares | 5 |
| 2010s | 215,522 hectares | 183,601 hectares | 254,798 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 212,513 hectares | 198,489 hectares | 221,193 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near United States
More environment data for United States
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 5,913 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 17.39 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 257.35 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 9.47 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 418.87 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 1.54 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 843.36 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 2 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 3.59 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 149.52 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is imported deforestation in United States?
- Imported deforestation in United States was 198,489 hectares in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest imported deforestation recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 254,798 hectares in 2018.
- What is the lowest imported deforestation recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 183,601 hectares in 2010.
- How does United States rank for imported deforestation?
- United States ranks 2nd out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is imported deforestation rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States 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.