Forests and Deforestation

Hannah Ritchie; Fiona Spooner; Max Roser

Humans have been cutting down forests for millennia. The world has lost one-third of its forests since the end of the last ice age – 10,000 years ago. Half of this loss occurred in the last century alone.

The main driver of deforestation is agriculture: humans clear forest to make space for grazing and croplands.

Global deforestation rates are still very high. Most of it occurs in the tropics where primary forests are rich in biodiversity. But rates have also passed their peak: deforestation has reversed in many countries across temperate regions, and rates have slowed in many countries across the tropics.

Finally bringing deforestation to an end is essential to protect the world’s biodiversity, and to tackle climate change.

On this page, you can find all of our data on forests and deforestation.

Research & Writing

Global deforestation peaked in the 1980s. Can we bring it to an end?

There was a marked acceleration in deforestation in the 20th century. But, global deforestation peaked in the 1980s. Since then, it has slowed.

Hannah Ritchie

The world has lost one-third of its forest, but an end of deforestation is possible

Over the last 10,000 years the world has lost one-third of its forests. An area twice the size of the United States. Half occurred in the last century.

Hannah Ritchie

Cutting down forests: what are the drivers of deforestation?

Three-quarters of deforestation is driven by agriculture. Most comes from the production of beef, palm oil, soy and logging industries.

Hannah Ritchie

Overview pages on Forests and Deforestation

Forest area

Hannah Ritchie

Deforestation and Forest Loss

Hannah Ritchie

Drivers of Deforestation

Hannah Ritchie

Interactive Charts on Forests and Deforestation

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Hannah Ritchie, Fiona Spooner and Max Roser (2021) - “Forests and Deforestation” Published online at OurWorldInData.org. Retrieved from: 'https://ourworldindata.org/forests-and-deforestation' [Online Resource]

BibTeX citation

@article{owid-forests-and-deforestation,
    author = {Hannah Ritchie and Fiona Spooner and Max Roser},
    title = {Forests and Deforestation},
    journal = {Our World in Data},
    year = {2021},
    note = {https://ourworldindata.org/forests-and-deforestation}
}

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Forests and Deforestation

Research & Writing

Global deforestation peaked in the 1980s. Can we bring it to an end?

The world has lost one-third of its forest, but an end of deforestation is possible

Cutting down forests: what are the drivers of deforestation?

Overview pages on Forests and Deforestation

Forest area

Deforestation and Forest Loss

Drivers of Deforestation

More Articles on Forests and Deforestation

Do rich countries import deforestation from overseas?

Is our appetite for soy driving deforestation in the Amazon?

Palm Oil

Carbon emissions from deforestation: are they driven by domestic demand or international trade?

Not all forest loss is equal: what is the difference between deforestation and forest degradation?

Humans destroyed forests for thousands of years – we can become the first generation that achieves a world in which forests expand

Interactive Charts on Forests and Deforestation

Cite this work

Reuse this work freely