Deforestation · 2001–2025
Deforestation in Burundi
Since 2001, Burundi has lost about 40,000 hectares of forest (about 56,000 football pitches): 7.4% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (87%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest in 2000
- 540,000 ha
- Forest lost since 2001
- 40,000 ha7.4% of it, about 56,000 football pitches
- Cleared for good
- 34,800 hadeforestation, 87% of the loss
- Worst year
- 20182,880 ha lost
Map
Where Burundi has lost forest
Every square kilometre of Burundi 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 Burundi, year by year
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 2,140 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 2,110 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2018, when about 2,880 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 | 1,240 ha | 162 ha | 1,410 ha |
| 2002 | 872 ha | 84 ha | 956 ha |
| 2003 | 1,180 ha | 111 ha | 1,290 ha |
| 2004 | 563 ha | 47 ha | 610 ha |
| 2005 | 855 ha | 113 ha | 968 ha |
| 2006 | 295 ha | 43 ha | 338 ha |
| 2007 | 1,700 ha | 122 ha | 1,820 ha |
| 2008 | 1,780 ha | 138 ha | 1,910 ha |
| 2009 | 797 ha | 46 ha | 843 ha |
| 2010 | 1,720 ha | 162 ha | 1,880 ha |
| 2011 | 887 ha | 69 ha | 956 ha |
| 2012 | 742 ha | 108 ha | 850 ha |
| 2013 | 1,140 ha | 252 ha | 1,390 ha |
| 2014 | 1,550 ha | 500 ha | 2,050 ha |
| 2015 | 1,130 ha | 328 ha | 1,450 ha |
| 2016 | 1,210 ha | 365 ha | 1,570 ha |
| 2017 | 1,520 ha | 306 ha | 1,830 ha |
| 2018 | 2,470 ha | 404 ha | 2,880 ha |
| 2019 | 2,080 ha | 309 ha | 2,390 ha |
| 2020 | 1,550 ha | 314 ha | 1,870 ha |
| 2021 | 1,980 ha | 293 ha | 2,270 ha |
| 2022 | 1,410 ha | 190 ha | 1,600 ha |
| 2023 | 1,780 ha | 175 ha | 1,960 ha |
| 2024 | 1,950 ha | 188 ha | 2,130 ha |
| 2025 | 2,380 ha | 351 ha | 2,730 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 Burundi?
- 87%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 11%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- 1.7%cause unknown
- Farms, pasture and plantations86% · 34,300 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for crops, cattle pasture or tree plantations: the biggest cause of deforestation in the world.
- Logging9.2% · 3,690 ha
Can grow back. Trees cut for timber or paper. The land usually stays forest and grows back.
- Towns and roads1.3% · 505 ha
Cleared for good. Forest replaced by houses, buildings and roads.
- Shifting farming1.1% · 437 ha
Can grow back. Small patches cleared to grow crops for a few seasons, then left to grow back.
- Unknown causes1.7% · 698 ha
Cause unknown. The satellites saw the trees go, but not why.
Also, each under 1%: storms, floods and other natural causes, wildfires.
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.
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation in Burundi
How much forest has Burundi lost since 2001?
Since 2001, Burundi has lost about 40,000 hectares of forest (about 56,000 football pitches): 7.4% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (87%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
Is deforestation in Burundi getting worse?
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 2,140 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 2,110 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 Burundi?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are farms, pasture and plantations (86%), logging (9.2%), towns and roads (1.3%). About 34,800 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 Burundi?
The worst year was 2018, when about 2,880 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 Burundi, 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.