Unsustainable farming, logging, mining and development continue to drive deforestation around the world.
Globally, forests are under threat. Rapid, large-scale efforts are needed to protect these ecosystems and the many benefits they provide.
Share these facts about deforestation:
How much forest does the world lose every year?
According to satellite data1,2, from 2002 through 2019, global tropical forest loss averaged 3.6 million hectares (9 million acres) a year — an area larger than Belgium.
How much of the world’s tropical forests have been lost?
More than half of tropical forests across the globe have been destroyed since the 1960s3, and tropical forests lost 10 percent more primary rainforest in 2022 than in 2021.4
How quickly are we losing tropical rainforests?
In 2024, the world lost 18 soccer fields worth of mature, biodiverse rainforests every minute, totaling 16.6 million acres lost.5
Which country has lost the most forest since 2000?
Between 2001 and 2022, Brazil lost 661,000 square kilometers (255,214 square miles) of tree cover — an area as big as the state of Texas — to deforestation.6
Which country had the greatest percentage of primary forest loss in 2024?
After large fires spread across protected areas and Indigenous territories, Nicaragua lost 4.7 percent of its primary forest — the highest of any country in 2024. Many Latin American countries saw a rise in primary forest loss in 2024, largely due to fire — including Mexico, which saw its primary forest loss double between 2023 and 2024.7
What is the largest driver of deforestation?
Agricultural expansion — such as cattle ranching, soy cultivation and oil palm plantations — drives the vast majority (about 90 percent) of deforestation worldwide.7
How many people are affected by deforestation?
Deforestation impacts 1.6 billion rural people worldwide who rely on forests for their livelihoods3 — most live in extreme poverty.
How many jobs rely on the forestry sector?
42 million people (about the population of Canada) rely on the forest sector, both formal and informal, for their jobs. A quarter of those jobs are held by women according to 2026 data by the Food and Agriculture Organization.7
How much does deforestation contribute to climate change?
Forests release carbon dioxide when they are cleared or burnt. Between 10 percent and 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions come from deforestation8 — on par with annual emissions from all the cars and trucks on Earth.
When is the global demand for food expected to double?
Global demand for food could double by 2050, experts believe. Using existing farmland more efficiently could feed more people without clearing additional forests and wetlands.9
References
- Global Forest Watch. Global Primary Forest Loss. Retrieved March, 2020, from https://www.globalforestwatch.org/dashboards/global
- Weisse, M. and Goldman, E.D. (2020, June 2). We Lost a Football Pitch of Primary Rainforest Every 6 Seconds in 2019. World Resources Institute. https://www.wri.org/blog/2020/06/global-tree-cover-loss-data-2019
- International Union for Conservation of Nature. (2021, February). Deforestation and forest degradation. https://www.iucn.org/resources/issues-briefs/deforestation-and-forest-degradation
- https://www.worldwildlife.org/our-work/forests/deforestation-and-forest-degradation/
- https://gfr.wri.org/global-tree-cover-loss-data-2024
- Global Forest Watch. Brazil. Retrieved November 13, 2023, from https://www.globalforestwatch.org/dashboards/country/BRA/?category=forest-change
- FAO. 2026. https://openknowledge.fao.org/items/7b660d7e-fe2f-4edb-a9c7-231281b024cf
- Brack, Duncan. (2019). Background Analytical Study: Forests and Climate Change. United Nations Forum on Forests. https://www.un.org/esa/forests/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/UNFF14-BkgdStudy-SDG13-March2019.pdf
- Tilman, D., Balzer, C., Hill, J., & Befort, B. L. (2011). Global food demand and the sustainable intensification of agriculture. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108(50), 20260–20264. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1116437108