Deforestation · 2001–2025
Deforestation in Belize
Since 2001, Belize has lost about 353,000 hectares of forest (about 3,500 km²): 20% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (69%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest in 2000
- 1.76 million ha
- Forest lost since 2001
- 353,000 ha20% of it, about 3,500 km²
- Cleared for good
- 243,000 hadeforestation, 69% of the loss
- Worst year
- 202434,900 ha lost
Map
Where Belize has lost forest
Every square kilometre of Belize as satellites saw it from 2000 to 2025. Yellow and green were forest; red to white marks where it has been lost since 2001, and when.
- Forest cover in 2000
- 0%25%50%75%100%How much of the land was forest: dark purple had little or none, yellow was dense forest.
- Year the forest was lost
- 200120132025Where forest was cut down, burned or cleared since 2001: red for the early years, through orange, to white for the most recent. Solid where a fifth or more of a place's forest went, fainter where 8% or more did.
- Cities
- The capital (the larger dot) and the biggest cities, to help you find your way.
Year by year
Forest lost in Belize, year by year
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 17,600 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 18,900 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2024, when about 34,900 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 | 4,520 ha | 3,750 ha | 8,270 ha |
| 2002 | 8,550 ha | 5,010 ha | 13,600 ha |
| 2003 | 5,070 ha | 1,850 ha | 6,930 ha |
| 2004 | 3,930 ha | 455 ha | 4,380 ha |
| 2005 | 6,070 ha | 2,130 ha | 8,200 ha |
| 2006 | 3,290 ha | 1,010 ha | 4,300 ha |
| 2007 | 8,590 ha | 3,870 ha | 12,500 ha |
| 2008 | 7,080 ha | 1,290 ha | 8,370 ha |
| 2009 | 8,840 ha | 1,670 ha | 10,500 ha |
| 2010 | 8,160 ha | 1,800 ha | 9,960 ha |
| 2011 | 17,300 ha | 9,280 ha | 26,600 ha |
| 2012 | 10,200 ha | 1,590 ha | 11,800 ha |
| 2013 | 13,100 ha | 3,600 ha | 16,700 ha |
| 2014 | 14,500 ha | 2,220 ha | 16,700 ha |
| 2015 | 10,500 ha | 1,800 ha | 12,300 ha |
| 2016 | 15,100 ha | 5,910 ha | 21,000 ha |
| 2017 | 11,400 ha | 5,150 ha | 16,500 ha |
| 2018 | 9,110 ha | 2,180 ha | 11,300 ha |
| 2019 | 14,300 ha | 4,310 ha | 18,600 ha |
| 2020 | 16,000 ha | 11,100 ha | 27,000 ha |
| 2021 | 7,180 ha | 2,240 ha | 9,420 ha |
| 2022 | 7,020 ha | 1,260 ha | 8,270 ha |
| 2023 | 13,000 ha | 9,730 ha | 22,700 ha |
| 2024 | 12,200 ha | 22,600 ha | 34,900 ha |
| 2025 | 7,950 ha | 4,660 ha | 12,600 ha |
The satellite method improved in 2011, so compare recent years with each other rather than with the 2000s. Hover over or tap a year for its figures.
Causes
What is causing deforestation in Belize?
- 69%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 31%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- Farms, pasture and plantations68% · 240,000 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for crops, cattle pasture or tree plantations: the biggest cause of deforestation in the world.
- Wildfires16% · 56,200 ha
Can grow back. Forest burned. It often grows back, though fire is sometimes used to clear land for good.
- Shifting farming9.6% · 33,800 ha
Can grow back. Small patches cleared to grow crops for a few seasons, then left to grow back.
- Storms, floods and other natural causes4.7% · 16,800 ha
Can grow back. Trees killed by storms, floods, landslides, pests or disease.
Also, each under 1%: logging, towns and roads, mining and energy, unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Is all forest loss deforestation?
No. When forest is cleared for farms, mines or towns, it is gone for good: that is deforestation. When it is logged or burned, it usually grows back. We count both as forest lost, but only the first as deforestation, so a country with a bad fire year isn't shown as clearing its forest for good.
Cities that lost the most forest around them
Forest lost within 10 km of each city centre since 2001.
| City | Forest lost | Share of its forest | Cleared for good |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belmopan | 13,700 ha | 50% | 11,300 ha |
| San Ignacio | 8,570 ha | 35% | 7,510 ha |
| Orange Walk | 5,350 ha | 31% | 5,320 ha |
| Belize City | 383 ha | 10% | 200 ha |
| San Pedro | 92 ha | 10% | 46 ha |
Satellite timelapses of cities in Belize
A satellite photo a year since 2017, with the forest lost marked on it, and the figures for each city.
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation in Belize
How much forest has Belize lost since 2001?
Since 2001, Belize has lost about 353,000 hectares of forest (about 3,500 km²): 20% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (69%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
Is deforestation in Belize getting worse?
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 17,600 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 18,900 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 in Belize?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are farms, pasture and plantations (68%), wildfires (16%), shifting farming (9.6%). About 243,000 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 in Belize?
The worst year was 2024, when about 34,900 hectares of forest 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 in Belize, 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.