Deforestation · 2001–2025
Deforestation in Costa Rica
Since 2001, Costa Rica has lost about 270,000 hectares of forest (about 2,700 km²): 7.7% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (92%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest in 2000
- 3.5 million ha
- Forest lost since 2001
- 270,000 ha7.7% of it, about 2,700 km²
- Cleared for good
- 249,000 hadeforestation, 92% of the loss
- Worst year
- 201720,700 ha lost
Map
Where Costa Rica has lost forest
Every square kilometre of Costa Rica 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 Costa Rica, year by year
Forest loss is slowing down: about 7,920 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 12,700 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2017, when about 20,700 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 | 12,500 ha | 395 ha | 12,900 ha |
| 2002 | 10,600 ha | 308 ha | 10,900 ha |
| 2003 | 7,340 ha | 325 ha | 7,660 ha |
| 2004 | 8,620 ha | 392 ha | 9,010 ha |
| 2005 | 15,100 ha | 421 ha | 15,500 ha |
| 2006 | 8,240 ha | 298 ha | 8,540 ha |
| 2007 | 10,100 ha | 467 ha | 10,600 ha |
| 2008 | 19,900 ha | 784 ha | 20,700 ha |
| 2009 | 18,000 ha | 956 ha | 18,900 ha |
| 2010 | 12,000 ha | 588 ha | 12,600 ha |
| 2011 | 9,070 ha | 564 ha | 9,630 ha |
| 2012 | 7,720 ha | 439 ha | 8,160 ha |
| 2013 | 6,980 ha | 644 ha | 7,620 ha |
| 2014 | 9,990 ha | 766 ha | 10,800 ha |
| 2015 | 3,010 ha | 112 ha | 3,120 ha |
| 2016 | 12,000 ha | 1,170 ha | 13,200 ha |
| 2017 | 14,900 ha | 5,840 ha | 20,700 ha |
| 2018 | 10,400 ha | 916 ha | 11,300 ha |
| 2019 | 9,800 ha | 1,040 ha | 10,800 ha |
| 2020 | 6,920 ha | 733 ha | 7,650 ha |
| 2021 | 6,720 ha | 722 ha | 7,440 ha |
| 2022 | 7,390 ha | 729 ha | 8,120 ha |
| 2023 | 7,780 ha | 827 ha | 8,600 ha |
| 2024 | 7,150 ha | 912 ha | 8,070 ha |
| 2025 | 6,580 ha | 795 ha | 7,370 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 Costa Rica?
- 92%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 7.3%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- under 1%cause unknown
- Farms, pasture and plantations91% · 245,000 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for crops, cattle pasture or tree plantations: the biggest cause of deforestation in the world.
- Shifting farming3.9% · 10,400 ha
Can grow back. Small patches cleared to grow crops for a few seasons, then left to grow back.
- Storms, floods and other natural causes1.7% · 4,470 ha
Can grow back. Trees killed by storms, floods, landslides, pests or disease.
- Towns and roads1.4% · 3,900 ha
Cleared for good. Forest replaced by houses, buildings and roads.
- Wildfires1.3% · 3,620 ha
Can grow back. Forest burned. It often grows back, though fire is sometimes used to clear land for good.
Also, each under 1%: logging, mining and energy, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Limón | 1,620 ha | 16% | 1,570 ha |
| San José | 1,510 ha | 13% | 1,480 ha |
| Paraíso | 1,210 ha | 6.3% | 1,200 ha |
| Liberia | 993 ha | 8.4% | 975 ha |
| Puntarenas | 470 ha | 10% | 450 ha |
Satellite timelapses of cities in Costa Rica
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 Costa Rica
How much forest has Costa Rica lost since 2001?
Since 2001, Costa Rica has lost about 270,000 hectares of forest (about 2,700 km²): 7.7% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (92%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
Is deforestation in Costa Rica getting worse?
Forest loss is slowing down: about 7,920 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 12,700 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 Costa Rica?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are farms, pasture and plantations (91%), shifting farming (3.9%), storms, floods and other natural causes (1.7%). About 249,000 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 Costa Rica?
The worst year was 2017, when about 20,700 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 Costa Rica, 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.