Deforestation · 10 km around the city · 2001–2025
Deforestation around Addis Ababa
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Addis Ababa has lost about 757 hectares of forest (about 1,100 football pitches): 49% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 60 hectares (8%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest in 2000
- 1,550 hawithin 10 km of the centre
- Forest lost since 2001
- 757 ha49% of it, about 1,100 football pitches
- Cleared for good
- 60 hadeforestation, 8% of the loss
- Worst year
- 2021100 ha lost
Satellite timelapse
2017: satellite photo from January 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km north of the city centre.
Satellite photos of the same 5 × 5 km area, one per year, all taken in the same season so the colours compare. You can see forest being cleared and towns spreading, though not single trees. Download the before/after image (free to reuse with credit to Airleaf).
Year by year
Forest lost around Addis Ababa, year by year
Forest loss is speeding up: about 52 hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 37 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2021, when about 100 hectares of forest were lost.
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | under 1 ha | 28 ha | 29 ha |
| 2002 | 8 ha | 3 ha | 11 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | 3 ha | 4 ha |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 2 ha |
| 2005 | 8 ha | 58 ha | 66 ha |
| 2006 | 3 ha | 5 ha | 8 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | 5 ha | 6 ha |
| 2008 | 1 ha | 3 ha | 4 ha |
| 2009 | 2 ha | 7 ha | 9 ha |
| 2010 | 3 ha | 12 ha | 15 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | 11 ha | 12 ha |
| 2012 | 3 ha | 84 ha | 87 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | 15 ha | 15 ha |
| 2014 | 4 ha | 30 ha | 34 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | 10 ha | 10 ha |
| 2016 | 7 ha | 25 ha | 32 ha |
| 2017 | 3 ha | 59 ha | 62 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | 62 ha | 62 ha |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | 10 ha | 10 ha |
| 2020 | 1 ha | 17 ha | 18 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | 99 ha | 100 ha |
| 2022 | 2 ha | 58 ha | 60 ha |
| 2023 | 4 ha | 9 ha | 14 ha |
| 2024 | 4 ha | 42 ha | 46 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | 42 ha | 42 ha |
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 6,340 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 6,390 ha
- Overall change
- +55 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Addis Ababa stayed about the same size, at about 6,390 hectares: new forest grew on about 667 hectares, and about 612 hectares were lost.
These 2000 and 2020 maps, from the University of Maryland, count any land with trees taller than 5 m as forest, including plantations and orchards. Forest that was cut or burned and had grown back by 2020 counts in both years, so the loss here is smaller than the yearly figures.
Causes
What is causing deforestation around Addis Ababa?
- 8%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 92%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- Logging92% · 697 ha
Can grow back. Trees cut for timber or paper. The land usually stays forest and grows back.
- Towns and roads8% · 60 ha
Cleared for good. Forest replaced by houses, buildings and roads.
Also, each under 1%: unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Use this data
Put Addis Ababa's forest loss on your site
Free to embed, with a link back to the full figures.
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation around Addis Ababa
How much forest has Addis Ababa lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Addis Ababa has lost about 757 hectares of forest (about 1,100 football pitches): 49% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 60 hectares (8%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
Is deforestation around Addis Ababa getting worse?
Forest loss is speeding up: about 52 hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 37 hectares a year in 2016–2020. These are five-year averages from 2011 on, the years the satellite maps were all made the same way.
What is causing deforestation around Addis Ababa?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are logging (92%), towns and roads (8%). About 60 hectares was deforestation, meaning forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
What was the worst year for forest loss around Addis Ababa?
The worst year was 2021, when about 100 hectares of forest were lost.
Is the forest around Addis Ababa growing or shrinking?
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Addis Ababa stayed about the same size, at about 6,390 hectares: new forest grew on about 667 hectares, and about 612 hectares were lost. These 2000 and 2020 maps, from the University of Maryland, count any land with trees taller than 5 m as forest, including plantations and orchards. Forest that was cut or burned and had grown back by 2020 counts in both years, so the loss here is smaller than the yearly figures.
Can I see satellite images of Addis Ababa over the years?
Yes. The timelapse at the top of this page has a satellite photo for every year from 2017 to 2026 of a 5 × 5 km area near Addis Ababa, where the most forest was lost. Press play to watch it change, or turn on "Show cleared forest" to see exactly where trees were lost.
How is forest loss measured?
We use satellite maps from the University of Maryland (Hansen and colleagues) that show, for every 30 × 30 m patch of land on Earth, the year its trees were cut down, burned or died, from 2001 to 2025. We add up those patches within 10 km of the centre of Addis Ababa, counting only places that were at least 30% covered by trees in 2000. The cause of each loss comes from a map made by the World Resources Institute and Google DeepMind. All figures are estimates.