Deforestation · 2001–2025
Deforestation in Benin
Since 2001, Benin has lost about 51,100 hectares of forest (about 72,000 football pitches): 30% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (98%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest in 2000
- 172,000 ha
- Forest lost since 2001
- 51,100 ha30% of it, about 72,000 football pitches
- Cleared for good
- 50,000 hadeforestation, 98% of the loss
- Worst year
- 20095,060 ha lost
Map
Where Benin has lost forest
Every square kilometre of Benin 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 Benin, year by year
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 1,920 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 1,730 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2009, when about 5,060 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 | 3,720 ha | 62 ha | 3,780 ha |
| 2002 | 3,410 ha | 127 ha | 3,530 ha |
| 2003 | 3,510 ha | 69 ha | 3,580 ha |
| 2004 | 684 ha | 18 ha | 702 ha |
| 2005 | 1,610 ha | 14 ha | 1,630 ha |
| 2006 | 1,810 ha | 48 ha | 1,860 ha |
| 2007 | 4,670 ha | 90 ha | 4,760 ha |
| 2008 | 440 ha | 36 ha | 476 ha |
| 2009 | 5,000 ha | 57 ha | 5,060 ha |
| 2010 | 514 ha | 13 ha | 527 ha |
| 2011 | 659 ha | 7 ha | 666 ha |
| 2012 | 2,840 ha | 39 ha | 2,870 ha |
| 2013 | 1,260 ha | 76 ha | 1,340 ha |
| 2014 | 1,370 ha | 52 ha | 1,420 ha |
| 2015 | 592 ha | 23 ha | 615 ha |
| 2016 | 1,960 ha | 80 ha | 2,040 ha |
| 2017 | 2,270 ha | 21 ha | 2,290 ha |
| 2018 | 1,840 ha | 9 ha | 1,850 ha |
| 2019 | 801 ha | 7 ha | 808 ha |
| 2020 | 1,660 ha | 11 ha | 1,680 ha |
| 2021 | 1,720 ha | 10 ha | 1,730 ha |
| 2022 | 1,690 ha | 23 ha | 1,710 ha |
| 2023 | 2,680 ha | 44 ha | 2,720 ha |
| 2024 | 1,440 ha | 13 ha | 1,450 ha |
| 2025 | 1,900 ha | 103 ha | 2,000 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 Benin?
- 98%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 1.5%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- under 1%cause unknown
- Farms, pasture and plantations96% · 49,200 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for crops, cattle pasture or tree plantations: the biggest cause of deforestation in the world.
- Towns and roads1.5% · 766 ha
Cleared for good. Forest replaced by houses, buildings and roads.
- Logging1.3% · 686 ha
Can grow back. Trees cut for timber or paper. The land usually stays forest and grows back.
Also, each under 1%: mining and energy, shifting farming, storms, floods and other natural causes, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Porto-Novo | 57 ha | 12% | 54 ha |
| Abomey-Calavi | 57 ha | 49% | 55 ha |
| Abomey | 29 ha | — | 28 ha |
| Cotonou | 3 ha | — | 3 ha |
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation in Benin
How much forest has Benin lost since 2001?
Since 2001, Benin has lost about 51,100 hectares of forest (about 72,000 football pitches): 30% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (98%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
Is deforestation in Benin getting worse?
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 1,920 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 1,730 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 Benin?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are farms, pasture and plantations (96%), towns and roads (1.5%), logging (1.3%). About 50,000 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 Benin?
The worst year was 2009, when about 5,060 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 Benin, 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.