How does South Africa rank for tree cover loss by dominant driver, per square kilometre?

South Africa ranks 134th out of 176 countries with data for 2023.

Is tree cover loss by dominant driver, per square kilometre rising or falling in South Africa?

Over the last ten years it is down 28.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.

Tree cover loss by dominant driver, per square kilometre in South Africa

Name: Tree cover loss by dominant driver, per square kilometre in South Africa
Creator: Statizoid (derived)
License: Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page

South Africa: Tree cover loss by dominant driver, per square kilometre was 0.0002 hectares per square kilometre in 2023. ▬ Flat

Latest (2023)

0.0002 hectares per square kilometre

Change on year

down 29.9%

World rank

134th

of 176 countries

All-time high

0.001 hectares per square kilometre

in 2017

All-time low

0.0002 hectares per square kilometre

in 2023

Years of data

2001–2023

Tree cover loss by dominant driver, per square kilometre in South Africa, 2001–2023

Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in hectares per square kilometre.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 0.0002 hectares per square kilometre for tree cover loss by dominant driver, per square kilometre in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 23 years on record.

The figure is down 29.9% on the previous year and down 28.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, tree cover loss by dominant driver, per square kilometre in South Africa peaked at 0.001 hectares per square kilometre in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0.0002 hectares per square kilometre, in 2023.

South Africa ranks 134th of 176 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

Tree cover loss by dominant driver, per square kilometre in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Tree cover loss by dominant driver, per square kilometre in South Africa, 2001 to 2023.
Year	hectares per square kilometre	Change
2001	0.0003 hectares per square kilometre	—
2002	0.0003 hectares per square kilometre	-3.0%
2003	0.0005 hectares per square kilometre	+65.1%
2004	0.0006 hectares per square kilometre	+27.8%
2005	0.0007 hectares per square kilometre	+2.7%
2006	0.0007 hectares per square kilometre	+2.6%
2007	0.0006 hectares per square kilometre	-11.3%
2008	0.0005 hectares per square kilometre	-24.0%
2009	0.0005 hectares per square kilometre	+5.0%
2010	0.0004 hectares per square kilometre	-21.5%
2011	0.0003 hectares per square kilometre	-10.9%
2012	0.0003 hectares per square kilometre	-6.3%
2013	0.0003 hectares per square kilometre	+10.8%
2014	0.0005 hectares per square kilometre	+37.9%
2015	0.0005 hectares per square kilometre	+10.6%
2016	0.0005 hectares per square kilometre	-7.9%
2017	0.001 hectares per square kilometre	+101.3%
2018	0.0006 hectares per square kilometre	-34.9%
2019	0.0005 hectares per square kilometre	-23.7%
2020	0.0005 hectares per square kilometre	+11.6%
2021	0.0005 hectares per square kilometre	-9.9%
2022	0.0004 hectares per square kilometre	-27.4%
2023	0.0002 hectares per square kilometre	-29.9%

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
2000s	0.0005 hectares per square kilometre	0.0003 hectares per square kilometre	0.0007 hectares per square kilometre	9
2010s	0.0005 hectares per square kilometre	0.0003 hectares per square kilometre	0.001 hectares per square kilometre	10
2020s	0.0004 hectares per square kilometre	0.0002 hectares per square kilometre	0.0005 hectares per square kilometre	4

Countries ranked near South Africa

131 Colombia 0.0003 hectares per square kilometre compare
132 Ethiopia 0.0003 hectares per square kilometre compare
133 Bangladesh 0.0003 hectares per square kilometre compare
135 Russia 0.0002 hectares per square kilometre compare
136 Bolivia 0.0002 hectares per square kilometre compare
137 Central African Republic 0.0002 hectares per square kilometre compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5111 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.71 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.63 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7468 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.63 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.71 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.49 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 41.1 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 63.65 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.07 (2050)

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is tree cover loss by dominant driver, per square kilometre in South Africa?: Tree cover loss by dominant driver, per square kilometre in South Africa was 0.0002 hectares per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
What is the highest tree cover loss by dominant driver, per square kilometre recorded in South Africa?: The highest recorded value was 0.001 hectares per square kilometre in 2017.
What is the lowest tree cover loss by dominant driver, per square kilometre recorded in South Africa?: The lowest recorded value was 0.0002 hectares per square kilometre in 2023.
How does South Africa rank for tree cover loss by dominant driver, per square kilometre?: South Africa ranks 134th out of 176 countries with data for 2023.
Is tree cover loss by dominant driver, per square kilometre rising or falling in South Africa?: Over the last ten years it is down 28.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this South Africa data come from?: The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Tree cover loss by dominant driver, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Tree cover loss by dominant driver, per square kilometre in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Statizoid (derived). Retrieved 29 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/tree-cover-loss-by-dominant-driver-per-square-kilometre/south-africa/

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<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/tree-cover-loss-by-dominant-driver-per-square-kilometre/south-africa/">Tree cover loss by dominant driver, per square kilometre in South Africa</a> — Statizoid

How this figure is calculated

Tree cover loss by dominant driver divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.

Tree cover loss by dominant driver ÷ Land area (sq. km)

Computed from

Tree cover loss by dominant driver Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.

About this data

Indicator: Tree cover loss by dominant driver, per square kilometre
Unit: hectares per square kilometre
Source: Statizoid (derived)
Licence: Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page
Coverage: 176 places, 3,776 data points, 2001–2023
Last refreshed: 29 September 2026

Tree cover loss by dominant driver divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.