Deforestation · 2001–2025
Deforestation in Bolivia
Since 2001, Bolivia has lost about 10.6 million hectares of forest (about 110,000 km²): 16% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (55%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest in 2000
- 64.9 million ha
- Forest lost since 2001
- 10.6 million ha16% of it, about 110,000 km²
- Cleared for good
- 5.81 million hadeforestation, 55% of the loss
- Worst year
- 20241.81 million ha lost
Map
Where Bolivia has lost forest
Every square kilometre of Bolivia 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 Bolivia, year by year
Forest loss is speeding up: about 888,000 hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 502,000 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2024, when about 1.81 million hectares of forest were lost, mostly to wildfires.
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 117,000 ha | 24,200 ha | 141,000 ha |
| 2002 | 150,000 ha | 30,800 ha | 181,000 ha |
| 2003 | 146,000 ha | 19,000 ha | 165,000 ha |
| 2004 | 169,000 ha | 35,400 ha | 204,000 ha |
| 2005 | 208,000 ha | 44,400 ha | 253,000 ha |
| 2006 | 185,000 ha | 32,500 ha | 217,000 ha |
| 2007 | 155,000 ha | 35,900 ha | 191,000 ha |
| 2008 | 322,000 ha | 48,300 ha | 370,000 ha |
| 2009 | 191,000 ha | 34,300 ha | 225,000 ha |
| 2010 | 299,000 ha | 155,000 ha | 454,000 ha |
| 2011 | 249,000 ha | 81,400 ha | 331,000 ha |
| 2012 | 211,000 ha | 64,000 ha | 275,000 ha |
| 2013 | 142,000 ha | 38,300 ha | 180,000 ha |
| 2014 | 191,000 ha | 67,100 ha | 258,000 ha |
| 2015 | 142,000 ha | 24,700 ha | 167,000 ha |
| 2016 | 360,000 ha | 112,000 ha | 472,000 ha |
| 2017 | 354,000 ha | 111,000 ha | 465,000 ha |
| 2018 | 258,000 ha | 45,400 ha | 304,000 ha |
| 2019 | 304,000 ha | 531,000 ha | 835,000 ha |
| 2020 | 230,000 ha | 203,000 ha | 433,000 ha |
| 2021 | 266,000 ha | 294,000 ha | 560,000 ha |
| 2022 | 387,000 ha | 212,000 ha | 599,000 ha |
| 2023 | 297,000 ha | 402,000 ha | 699,000 ha |
| 2024 | 289,000 ha | 1.52 million ha | 1.81 million ha |
| 2025 | 185,000 ha | 583,000 ha | 768,000 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 Bolivia?
- 55%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 44%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- 1.2%cause unknown
- Farms, pasture and plantations55% · 5.77 million ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for crops, cattle pasture or tree plantations: the biggest cause of deforestation in the world.
- Wildfires36% · 3.85 million ha
Can grow back. Forest burned. It often grows back, though fire is sometimes used to clear land for good.
- Storms, floods and other natural causes3.6% · 376,000 ha
Can grow back. Trees killed by storms, floods, landslides, pests or disease.
- Shifting farming1.9% · 202,000 ha
Can grow back. Small patches cleared to grow crops for a few seasons, then left to grow back.
- Logging1.9% · 198,000 ha
Can grow back. Trees cut for timber or paper. The land usually stays forest and grows back.
- Unknown causes1.2% · 127,000 ha
Cause unknown. The satellites saw the trees go, but not why.
Also, each under 1%: mining and energy, towns and roads.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz de la Sierra | 1,610 ha | 34% | 1,580 ha |
| Cochabamba | 27 ha | 3.3% | 11 ha |
| Quillacollo | 18 ha | 1.9% | 11 ha |
| Tarija | 10 ha | 1.8% | 5 ha |
| Sacaba | 9 ha | 2.3% | 2 ha |
| Sucre | 9 ha | under 1% | 1 ha |
| La Paz | 2 ha | — | under 1 ha |
Satellite timelapses of cities in Bolivia
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 Bolivia
How much forest has Bolivia lost since 2001?
Since 2001, Bolivia has lost about 10.6 million hectares of forest (about 110,000 km²): 16% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (55%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
Is deforestation in Bolivia getting worse?
Forest loss is speeding up: about 888,000 hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 502,000 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 Bolivia?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are farms, pasture and plantations (55%), wildfires (36%), storms, floods and other natural causes (3.6%). About 5.81 million 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 Bolivia?
The worst year was 2024, when about 1.81 million hectares of forest were lost, mostly to wildfires.
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 Bolivia, 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.