Deforestation · 2001–2025
Deforestation in Colombia
Since 2001, Colombia has lost about 5.8 million hectares of forest (about 58,000 km²): 7.1% 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
- 82.1 million ha
- Forest lost since 2001
- 5.8 million ha7.1% of it, about 58,000 km²
- Cleared for good
- 5.2 million hadeforestation, 90% of the loss
- Worst year
- 2017425,000 ha lost
Map
Where Colombia has lost forest
Every square kilometre of Colombia 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 Colombia, year by year
Forest loss is slowing down: about 226,000 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 332,000 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2017, when about 425,000 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 | 209,000 ha | 21,600 ha | 230,000 ha |
| 2002 | 163,000 ha | 19,700 ha | 183,000 ha |
| 2003 | 109,000 ha | 13,400 ha | 123,000 ha |
| 2004 | 230,000 ha | 24,900 ha | 255,000 ha |
| 2005 | 173,000 ha | 16,300 ha | 189,000 ha |
| 2006 | 174,000 ha | 16,900 ha | 191,000 ha |
| 2007 | 251,000 ha | 18,600 ha | 270,000 ha |
| 2008 | 212,000 ha | 20,600 ha | 232,000 ha |
| 2009 | 218,000 ha | 20,100 ha | 238,000 ha |
| 2010 | 175,000 ha | 21,800 ha | 197,000 ha |
| 2011 | 173,000 ha | 17,500 ha | 190,000 ha |
| 2012 | 203,000 ha | 25,100 ha | 228,000 ha |
| 2013 | 122,000 ha | 17,400 ha | 139,000 ha |
| 2014 | 179,000 ha | 23,100 ha | 202,000 ha |
| 2015 | 125,000 ha | 15,600 ha | 141,000 ha |
| 2016 | 237,000 ha | 54,000 ha | 291,000 ha |
| 2017 | 385,000 ha | 39,600 ha | 425,000 ha |
| 2018 | 327,000 ha | 25,700 ha | 352,000 ha |
| 2019 | 235,000 ha | 33,100 ha | 268,000 ha |
| 2020 | 289,000 ha | 35,100 ha | 324,000 ha |
| 2021 | 243,000 ha | 21,900 ha | 265,000 ha |
| 2022 | 241,000 ha | 24,700 ha | 266,000 ha |
| 2023 | 174,000 ha | 22,700 ha | 197,000 ha |
| 2024 | 192,000 ha | 21,600 ha | 214,000 ha |
| 2025 | 163,000 ha | 23,900 ha | 187,000 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 Colombia?
- 90%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 9.6%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- under 1%cause unknown
- Farms, pasture and plantations89% · 5.16 million ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for crops, cattle pasture or tree plantations: the biggest cause of deforestation in the world.
- Shifting farming4.9% · 283,000 ha
Can grow back. Small patches cleared to grow crops for a few seasons, then left to grow back.
- Logging2.1% · 122,000 ha
Can grow back. Trees cut for timber or paper. The land usually stays forest and grows back.
- Storms, floods and other natural causes1.9% · 110,000 ha
Can grow back. Trees killed by storms, floods, landslides, pests or disease.
Also, each under 1%: wildfires, mining and energy, towns and roads, 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.
Departments that lost the most
| Department | Forest lost | Share of its forest | Cleared for good |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caquetá | 856,000 ha | 11% | 833,000 ha |
| Meta Department | 722,000 ha | 16% | 692,000 ha |
| Antioquia | 637,000 ha | 12% | 575,000 ha |
| Bolívar | 292,000 ha | 16% | 273,000 ha |
| Norte de Santander Department | 253,000 ha | 15% | 243,000 ha |
| Santander Department | 248,000 ha | 12% | 242,000 ha |
| Magdalena Department | 163,000 ha | 18% | 153,000 ha |
| Cesar Department | 151,000 ha | 14% | 147,000 ha |
| Córdoba | 140,000 ha | 14% | 120,000 ha |
| Chocó | 132,000 ha | 2.9% | 82,500 ha |
| Nariño | 131,000 ha | 5% | 115,000 ha |
| Cauca Department | 124,000 ha | 4.9% | 99,400 ha |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Popayán | 4,020 ha | 19% | 1,450 ha |
| Armenia | 3,830 ha | 16% | 3,470 ha |
| Pitalito | 3,230 ha | 15% | 3,100 ha |
| Pereira | 3,180 ha | 14% | 2,590 ha |
| Manizales | 2,400 ha | 9.1% | 2,020 ha |
| Envigado | 2,100 ha | 11% | 1,340 ha |
| Barrancabermeja | 2,050 ha | 14% | 1,820 ha |
| Ibagué | 1,760 ha | 8.6% | 1,760 ha |
| Zipaquirá | 1,660 ha | 12% | 1,200 ha |
| Florencia | 1,580 ha | 9.3% | 1,560 ha |
Satellite timelapses of cities in Colombia
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 Colombia
How much forest has Colombia lost since 2001?
Since 2001, Colombia has lost about 5.8 million hectares of forest (about 58,000 km²): 7.1% 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 Colombia getting worse?
Forest loss is slowing down: about 226,000 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 332,000 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 Colombia?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are farms, pasture and plantations (89%), shifting farming (4.9%), logging (2.1%). About 5.2 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 Colombia?
The worst year was 2017, when about 425,000 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 Colombia, 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.