Tree Cover Loss in China
China: Tree Cover Loss was 650,785 hectares in 2025. ▲ Rising
Tree Cover Loss in China, 2001–2025
Source: Global Forest Watch. Tree Cover Loss (Hansen/UMD/Google/USGS/NASA). Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2025, tree cover loss in China stood at 650,785 hectares.
The figure is down 3.6% on the previous year and up 32.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tree cover loss in China peaked at 738,092 hectares in 2008 and was at its lowest, 230,308 hectares, in 2001.
China ranks 8th of 189 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 465,844 hectares | 230,308 hectares | 738,092 hectares | 9 |
| 2010s | 572,504 hectares | 441,336 hectares | 718,775 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 583,314 hectares | 422,361 hectares | 675,198 hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near China
More agriculture & rural data for China
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 1.30 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 6.7% (2025)
- Rural population 473.41 million (2025)
- Rural population growth -1.5% (2025)
- Rural population 33.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.7% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 6.7% (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 6.7% (2025)
- Land under cereal production 99.99 million hectares (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is tree cover loss in China?
- Tree cover loss in China was 650,785 hectares in 2025, according to Global Forest Watch. Tree Cover Loss (Hansen/UMD/Google/USGS/NASA).
- What is the highest tree cover loss recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 738,092 hectares in 2008.
- What is the lowest tree cover loss recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 230,308 hectares in 2001.
- How does China rank for tree cover loss?
- China ranks 8th out of 189 countries with data for 2025.
- Is tree cover loss rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 32.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Global Forest Watch. Tree Cover Loss (Hansen/UMD/Google/USGS/NASA), published as part of Tree Cover Loss (hectares). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Shows year-by-year tree cover loss, defined as stand level replacement of vegetation greater than 5 meters, within the selected area. The tree cover loss data set is a collaboration of the University of Maryland, Google, USGS, and NASA, and uses Landsat satellite images to map annual tree cover loss at a 30 × 30 meter resolution. Note that “tree cover loss” is not the same as “deforestation” – tree cover loss includes change in both natural and planted forest, and does not need to be human caused. The data from 2011 onward were produced with an updated methodology that may capture additional loss. Comparisons between the original 2001-2010 data and future years should be performed with caution.