Deforestation driven by agricultural expansion and forest plantations by country

The estimated area deforested to clear land for agricultural production or forest plantations. This is measured in hectares.

Countries reporting
174
Highest
1.29 million
Brazil
Lowest
0.04
Tajikistan
Median
306
Years covered
23
2001–2023
Data points
3,812

What the numbers show

Deforestation driven by agricultural expansion and forest plantations is currently reported for 174 countries. The highest value is 1.29 million in Brazil; the lowest is 0.04 in Tajikistan.

The median across all reporting countries is 306, and the mean is 25,651.

Over the past decade 65 countries rose and 109 fell. The largest increase was in Reunion (up 4,429.7%), and the largest decrease in Burkina Faso (down 99.5%).

Deforestation driven by agricultural expansion and forest plantations: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 Brazil 1.29 million 2023 up 30.7% falling
2 Democratic Republic of Congo 571,063 2023 up 24.9% rising
3 China 444,163 2023 up 62.7% rising
4 Cote d'Ivoire 218,438 2023 up 11.9% volatile
5 Bolivia 150,133 2023 up 30.9% rising
6 India 134,885 2023 up 72.0% rising
7 Nigeria 109,543 2023 up 99.6% volatile
8 Vietnam 107,948 2023 up 16.7% rising
9 Indonesia 106,300 2023 down 79.8% volatile
10 Paraguay 79,570 2023 down 56.5% falling
11 Myanmar 78,204 2023 down 5.0% rising
12 Angola 76,404 2023 up 34.1% rising
13 Peru 68,301 2023 down 29.8% rising
14 Colombia 67,936 2023 down 13.3% rising
15 Laos 67,314 2023 up 346.5% volatile
16 Ghana 61,290 2023 down 21.3% volatile
17 Cameroon 56,681 2023 up 349.5% volatile
18 Thailand 49,608 2023 down 6.7% volatile
19 Malaysia 49,199 2023 down 63.8% falling
20 Argentina 48,425 2023 down 81.8% volatile
21 Madagascar 47,560 2023 up 420.5% rising
22 United States 45,711 2023 down 70.7% volatile
23 Cambodia 42,543 2023 down 25.3% rising
24 Tanzania 38,790 2023 down 40.2% flat
25 Mozambique 37,054 2023 up 7.2% falling
26 Mexico 32,952 2023 up 231.9% volatile
27 Philippines 32,275 2023 down 15.9% rising
28 Chile 31,353 2023 up 50.2% rising
29 Guinea 28,046 2023 down 25.5% volatile
30 Ecuador 19,347 2023 up 159.6% volatile
31 Central African Republic 18,888 2023 up 68.4% volatile
32 Honduras 18,877 2023 down 14.0% falling
33 Zambia 18,827 2023 down 29.9% volatile
34 Nicaragua 17,361 2023 up 114.2% volatile
35 New Zealand 16,180 2023 up 958.3% volatile
36 Malawi 12,740 2023 up 32.9% rising
37 Papua New Guinea 12,591 2023 down 61.4% volatile
38 Guatemala 12,358 2023 down 73.2% volatile
39 Uganda 11,948 2023 down 14.9% rising
40 Sri Lanka 11,475 2023 up 51.9% rising
41 Chad 10,346 2023 up 60.4% volatile
42 Congo 9,198 2023 up 33.7% rising
43 Kenya 8,863 2023 down 18.1% falling
44 Ethiopia 8,427 2023 down 35.6% volatile
45 Liberia 6,793 2023 down 83.9% volatile
46 Venezuela 5,603 2023 down 76.8% falling
47 Panama 4,960 2023 up 34.5% volatile
48 Gabon 4,786 2023 up 27.4% falling
49 Australia 4,457 2023 up 579.9% volatile
50 South Sudan 4,221 2023 up 45.0% falling
51 Ireland 3,785 2023 up 153.2% rising
52 South Africa 3,695 2023 down 47.5% rising
53 Canada 3,237 2023 down 84.4% volatile
54 Uruguay 3,133 2023 down 15.3% rising
55 Sierra Leone 2,431 2023 up 23.5% volatile
56 Spain 1,937 2023 up 209.5% volatile
57 Benin 1,858 2023 up 69.3% volatile
58 Rwanda 1,825 2023 down 16.6% rising
59 Italy 1,748 2023 up 3.9% flat
60 Guyana 1,659 2023 up 250.6% volatile
61 Russia 1,599 2023 down 90.9% falling
62 Costa Rica 1,575 2023 down 27.8% volatile
63 Ukraine 1,429 2023 down 65.2% volatile
64 Solomon Islands 1,331 2023 up 7.2% rising
65 Latvia 1,330 2023 up 0.6% rising
66 Suriname 1,301 2023 up 10.2% volatile
67 Guinea-Bissau 1,121 2023 down 31.9% volatile
68 France 1,066 2023 up 11.8% volatile
69 Belize 1,058 2023 down 75.7% volatile
70 Bangladesh 944.14 2023 up 463.2% volatile
71 Nepal 891.59 2023 up 58.0% volatile
72 Zimbabwe 864.86 2023 down 63.5% volatile
73 French Guiana 798.91 2006 up 29.3% rising
74 Finland 797.64 2023 down 77.9% falling
75 Turkey 787.85 2023 down 35.4% rising
76 Equatorial Guinea 720.33 2023 up 52.6% volatile
77 Serbia 505.04 2023 up 187.5% volatile
78 Fiji 485.5 2023 down 26.9% volatile
79 Greece 480.44 2023 up 1,582.8% volatile
80 Japan 472.55 2023 down 41.3% volatile
81 Burundi 432.61 2023 down 30.6% rising
82 Togo 426.77 2023 down 35.1% volatile
83 Dominican Republic 420.13 2023 down 80.0% falling
84 North Korea 415.65 2023 up 1.4% volatile
85 Cuba 405.21 2023 down 26.7% volatile
86 Germany 365.75 2023 down 24.6% falling
87 Mali 318.42 2023 down 66.7% volatile
88 Portugal 293.58 2023 down 87.8% volatile
89 Lithuania 282.52 2023 up 233.4% volatile
90 Poland 265.98 2023 down 24.8% volatile
91 Romania 259.95 2023 up 969.3% volatile
92 Croatia 240.06 2023 up 38.1% volatile
93 Bulgaria 223 2023 up 29.2% volatile
94 Bhutan 183.87 2023 up 137.8% volatile
95 Norway 177.69 2023 down 79.9% volatile
96 Bosnia and Herzegovina 169.61 2023 down 17.9% volatile
97 Hungary 150.82 2023 down 16.5% volatile
98 Taiwan 148.66 2023 up 0.6% falling
99 Sweden 145.35 2023 down 83.0% volatile
100 Jamaica 144.76 2023 up 45.9% falling
101 Kazakhstan 141.04 2023 down 60.5% volatile
102 South Korea 136.99 2023 down 97.0% volatile
103 Somalia 129.02 2023 down 41.9% falling
104 Mauritius 124.32 2014 up 137.0% volatile
105 Puerto Rico 111.45 2023 up 177.7% volatile
106 Albania 104.51 2023 down 11.4% volatile
107 Slovenia 99.64 2023 up 44.6% rising
108 Reunion 88.33 2006 up 4,429.7% volatile
109 El Salvador 83.63 2023 down 75.3% volatile
110 Estonia 80.13 2023 down 49.3% volatile
111 United Kingdom 71.17 2023 down 85.2% volatile
112 East Timor 61.42 2023 down 17.5% falling
113 Brunei 55.27 2023 down 35.1% volatile
114 Montenegro 53.2 2023 down 34.0% volatile
115 Switzerland 49.5 2023 up 1,953.9% volatile
116 Sudan 47.09 2023 up 132.4% volatile
117 Netherlands 46.6 2023 up 394.7% volatile
118 Austria 44.08 2023 up 203.6% volatile
119 North Macedonia 41.95 2023 down 10.3% volatile
120 Denmark 40.46 2023 down 29.5% volatile
121 Czechia 40.19 2023 up 334.5% volatile
122 Eswatini 38.56 2023 down 88.5% volatile
123 Haiti 36.1 2023 down 84.4% volatile
124 Belgium 31.72 2023 down 93.6% volatile
125 Moldova 31.56 2023 up 246.8% volatile
126 Trinidad and Tobago 31.03 2023 up 4.5% volatile
127 Georgia 25.12 2023 down 75.8% volatile
128 New Caledonia 24.22 2023 down 88.2% volatile
129 Slovakia 23.34 2019 down 93.4% volatile
130 Pakistan 17.81 2023 down 22.9% volatile
131 Azerbaijan 16.51 2023 down 67.0% volatile
133 Vanuatu 15.42 2023 down 93.2% volatile
134 Egypt 14.55 2023 down 89.8% volatile
136 Belarus 10 2023 down 98.9% volatile
137 Algeria 9.57 2023 down 94.6% volatile
138 Senegal 9.16 2023 down 87.8% volatile
139 Comoros 8.9 2023 down 84.0% volatile
140 Singapore 8.25 2023 up 918.5% volatile
141 Morocco 7.71 2023 down 93.8% volatile
142 Israel 5.96 2023 down 21.0% volatile
143 Tunisia 5.6 2023 down 82.0% volatile
144 Iran 5.45 2023 down 81.5% volatile
145 Namibia 5.43 2023 down 40.5% volatile
146 Bahamas 3.68 2023 down 89.3% volatile
147 Luxembourg 3.25 2023 down 23.7% volatile
148 Gambia 2.78 2023 down 90.7% volatile
149 Mongolia 2.22 2023 down 95.3% volatile
150 Armenia 2.18 2023 down 76.3% volatile
151 Saint Lucia 2.17 2023 down 9.2% volatile
152 Syria 1.93 2023 down 95.4% volatile
153 Botswana 1.87 2023 down 91.7% volatile
154 Cape Verde 1.77 2020 up 139.2% volatile
155 Dominica 1.67 2023 down 1.2% volatile
156 Lebanon 1.66 2023 down 85.5% volatile
157 Kyrgyzstan 1.16 2022 down 95.8% volatile
158 Cyprus 0.95 2023 down 73.2% volatile
159 Antigua and Barbuda 0.81 2023 down 45.3% volatile
160 Maldives 0.8 2023 down 71.7% volatile
161 Afghanistan 0.73 2023 up 102.8% volatile
162 Libya 0.65 2023 down 72.2% volatile
163 Turkmenistan 0.3 2014 down 97.4% volatile
164 Grenada 0.28 2023 down 90.9% volatile
165 Uzbekistan 0.15 2023 down 97.6% volatile
166 Lesotho 0.13 2023 down 97.8% volatile
166 Malta 0.13 2017 down 78.7% volatile
166 Palestine 0.13 2020 down 72.3% volatile
169 Jordan 0.08 2020 down 33.3% volatile
170 Burkina Faso 0.07 2018 down 99.5% volatile
171 Iraq 0.06 2023 down 97.6% volatile
171 Saint Kitts and Nevis 0.06 2022 down 96.6% volatile
171 Niger 0.06 2012 down 95.6% volatile
171 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0.06 2023 down 97.6% volatile
175 Barbados 0.05 2023 down 88.9% volatile
176 Tajikistan 0.04 2020 down 99.4% volatile

About this data

Indicator
Deforestation driven by agricultural expansion and forest plantations
Source
Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 3,812 data points, 2001–2023
Last refreshed

The estimated area deforested to clear land for agricultural production or forest plantations. This is measured in hectares.