Deforestation · 2001–2025
Deforestation in Chad
Since 2001, Chad has lost about 97,100 hectares of forest (about 140,000 football pitches): 24% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (90%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest in 2000
- 406,000 ha
- Forest lost since 2001
- 97,100 ha24% of it, about 140,000 football pitches
- Cleared for good
- 87,700 hadeforestation, 90% of the loss
- Worst year
- 202413,100 ha lost
Map
Where Chad has lost forest
Every square kilometre of Chad 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 Chad, year by year
Forest loss is speeding up: about 9,430 hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 5,030 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2024, when about 13,100 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 | 910 ha | 29 ha | 939 ha |
| 2002 | 1,800 ha | 146 ha | 1,950 ha |
| 2003 | 184 ha | 9 ha | 193 ha |
| 2004 | 398 ha | 54 ha | 452 ha |
| 2005 | 484 ha | 19 ha | 503 ha |
| 2006 | 2,760 ha | 171 ha | 2,930 ha |
| 2007 | 1,050 ha | 15 ha | 1,070 ha |
| 2008 | 3,470 ha | 129 ha | 3,600 ha |
| 2009 | 1,070 ha | 41 ha | 1,110 ha |
| 2010 | 237 ha | 16 ha | 253 ha |
| 2011 | 854 ha | 48 ha | 902 ha |
| 2012 | 2,460 ha | 97 ha | 2,560 ha |
| 2013 | 2,710 ha | 170 ha | 2,880 ha |
| 2014 | 2,790 ha | 170 ha | 2,960 ha |
| 2015 | 2,430 ha | 120 ha | 2,550 ha |
| 2016 | 3,050 ha | 89 ha | 3,140 ha |
| 2017 | 6,470 ha | 227 ha | 6,690 ha |
| 2018 | 6,740 ha | 167 ha | 6,910 ha |
| 2019 | 4,970 ha | 54 ha | 5,020 ha |
| 2020 | 3,380 ha | 31 ha | 3,410 ha |
| 2021 | 4,960 ha | 144 ha | 5,100 ha |
| 2022 | 5,270 ha | 163 ha | 5,430 ha |
| 2023 | 10,100 ha | 982 ha | 11,000 ha |
| 2024 | 10,300 ha | 2,810 ha | 13,100 ha |
| 2025 | 8,890 ha | 3,560 ha | 12,500 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 Chad?
- 90%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 8.4%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- 1.4%cause unknown
- Farms, pasture and plantations90% · 87,700 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for crops, cattle pasture or tree plantations: the biggest cause of deforestation in the world.
- Wildfires4.3% · 4,160 ha
Can grow back. Forest burned. It often grows back, though fire is sometimes used to clear land for good.
- Shifting farming4.1% · 3,950 ha
Can grow back. Small patches cleared to grow crops for a few seasons, then left to grow back.
- Unknown causes1.4% · 1,340 ha
Cause unknown. The satellites saw the trees go, but not why.
Also, each under 1%: towns and roads, storms, floods and other natural causes, logging, mining and energy.
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 Chad
How much forest has Chad lost since 2001?
Since 2001, Chad has lost about 97,100 hectares of forest (about 140,000 football pitches): 24% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (90%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
Is deforestation in Chad getting worse?
Forest loss is speeding up: about 9,430 hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 5,030 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 Chad?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are farms, pasture and plantations (90%), wildfires (4.3%), shifting farming (4.1%). About 87,700 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 Chad?
The worst year was 2024, when about 13,100 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 Chad, 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.