Deforestation driven by agricultural expansion and forest plantations in Namibia
Namibia: Deforestation driven by agricultural expansion and forest plantations was 5.43 in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Deforestation driven by agricultural expansion and forest plantations in Namibia, 2001–2023
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, deforestation driven by agricultural expansion and forest plantations in Namibia stood at 5.43.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.3% on the previous year and down 40.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, deforestation driven by agricultural expansion and forest plantations in Namibia peaked at 485.98 in 2001 and was at its lowest, 3.37, in 2020.
Namibia ranks 145th of 176 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Deforestation driven by agricultural expansion and forest plantations in Namibia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 485.98 | — |
| 2002 | 136.97 | -71.8% |
| 2003 | 317.97 | +132.1% |
| 2004 | 127.88 | -59.8% |
| 2005 | 128.13 | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 31.73 | -75.2% |
| 2007 | 157.67 | +396.9% |
| 2008 | 62.87 | -60.1% |
| 2009 | 188.49 | +199.8% |
| 2010 | 59.22 | -68.6% |
| 2011 | 114.07 | +92.6% |
| 2012 | 66.91 | -41.3% |
| 2013 | 9.13 | -86.4% |
| 2014 | 8.57 | -6.1% |
| 2015 | 4.96 | -42.1% |
| 2016 | 5.05 | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 13.12 | +159.8% |
| 2018 | 25.27 | +92.6% |
| 2019 | 7.1 | -71.9% |
| 2020 | 3.37 | -52.5% |
| 2021 | 12.32 | +265.6% |
| 2022 | 5.56 | -54.9% |
| 2023 | 5.43 | -2.3% |
Namibia compared with similar countries
- Namibia's 5.43 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 944.14, 1% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Namibia's 5.43 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3,063, 0% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Deforestation driven by agricultural expansion and forest plantations in Namibia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | +396.9% | 31.73 | 157.67 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 181.97 | 31.73 | 485.98 | 9 |
| 2010s | 31.34 | 4.96 | 114.07 | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.67 | 3.37 | 12.32 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Namibia
More agriculture & rural data for Namibia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 8 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0699 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 340.78 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.13 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.4913 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 7.0% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 7.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is deforestation driven by agricultural expansion and forest plantations in Namibia?
- Deforestation driven by agricultural expansion and forest plantations in Namibia was 5.43 in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest deforestation driven by agricultural expansion and forest plantations recorded in Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 485.98 in 2001.
- What is the lowest deforestation driven by agricultural expansion and forest plantations recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.37 in 2020.
- How does Namibia rank for deforestation driven by agricultural expansion and forest plantations?
- Namibia ranks 145th out of 176 countries with data for 2023.
- Is deforestation driven by agricultural expansion and forest plantations rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 40.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Namibia data come from?
- The figures come from Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Deforestation driven by agricultural expansion and forest plantations. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The estimated area deforested to clear land for agricultural production or forest plantations. This is measured in hectares.