Deforestation · 2001–2025
Deforestation in Cuba
Since 2001, Cuba has lost about 430,000 hectares of forest (about 4,300 km²): 11% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was farms, pasture and plantations (47%). About 208,000 hectares (48%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest in 2000
- 3.96 million ha
- Forest lost since 2001
- 430,000 ha11% of it, about 4,300 km²
- Cleared for good
- 208,000 hadeforestation, 48% of the loss
- Worst year
- 201673,600 ha lost
Map
Where Cuba has lost forest
Every square kilometre of Cuba 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 Cuba, year by year
Forest loss is slowing down: about 14,200 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 35,400 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2016, when about 73,600 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 | 15,700 ha | 3,240 ha | 19,000 ha |
| 2002 | 6,750 ha | 8,270 ha | 15,000 ha |
| 2003 | 4,690 ha | 1,760 ha | 6,450 ha |
| 2004 | 17,000 ha | 4,830 ha | 21,800 ha |
| 2005 | 7,840 ha | 4,970 ha | 12,800 ha |
| 2006 | 6,800 ha | 5,470 ha | 12,300 ha |
| 2007 | 4,370 ha | 3,500 ha | 7,880 ha |
| 2008 | 11,700 ha | 5,190 ha | 16,900 ha |
| 2009 | 11,500 ha | 4,750 ha | 16,200 ha |
| 2010 | 6,100 ha | 2,500 ha | 8,590 ha |
| 2011 | 12,600 ha | 3,730 ha | 16,300 ha |
| 2012 | 7,240 ha | 3,110 ha | 10,400 ha |
| 2013 | 4,640 ha | 1,440 ha | 6,090 ha |
| 2014 | 4,600 ha | 1,280 ha | 5,870 ha |
| 2015 | 4,970 ha | 1,770 ha | 6,740 ha |
| 2016 | 14,600 ha | 59,000 ha | 73,600 ha |
| 2017 | 14,400 ha | 54,300 ha | 68,800 ha |
| 2018 | 6,530 ha | 7,830 ha | 14,400 ha |
| 2019 | 5,790 ha | 1,670 ha | 7,460 ha |
| 2020 | 7,720 ha | 4,920 ha | 12,600 ha |
| 2021 | 5,780 ha | 3,970 ha | 9,750 ha |
| 2022 | 2,870 ha | 1,980 ha | 4,850 ha |
| 2023 | 7,700 ha | 11,000 ha | 18,700 ha |
| 2024 | 4,120 ha | 5,660 ha | 9,780 ha |
| 2025 | 11,700 ha | 16,300 ha | 28,000 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 Cuba?
- 48%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 50%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- 1.8%cause unknown
- Farms, pasture and plantations47% · 202,000 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for crops, cattle pasture or tree plantations: the biggest cause of deforestation in the world.
- Storms, floods and other natural causes24% · 104,000 ha
Can grow back. Trees killed by storms, floods, landslides, pests or disease.
- Wildfires16% · 68,800 ha
Can grow back. Forest burned. It often grows back, though fire is sometimes used to clear land for good.
- Shifting farming6.1% · 26,300 ha
Can grow back. Small patches cleared to grow crops for a few seasons, then left to grow back.
- Logging3.7% · 15,900 ha
Can grow back. Trees cut for timber or paper. The land usually stays forest and grows back.
- Unknown causes1.8% · 7,770 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pinar del Río | 1,090 ha | 14% | 993 ha |
| Santiago de Cuba | 1,080 ha | 7.6% | 1,010 ha |
| Las Tunas | 906 ha | 18% | 899 ha |
| Camagüey | 898 ha | 28% | 888 ha |
| Ciego de Ávila | 840 ha | 17% | 822 ha |
| Sancti Spíritus | 824 ha | 15% | 756 ha |
| Guantánamo | 787 ha | 16% | 781 ha |
| Palma Soriano | 662 ha | 7% | 645 ha |
| Santa Clara | 655 ha | 8% | 475 ha |
| Cienfuegos | 628 ha | 8.6% | 434 ha |
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation in Cuba
How much forest has Cuba lost since 2001?
Since 2001, Cuba has lost about 430,000 hectares of forest (about 4,300 km²): 11% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was farms, pasture and plantations (47%). About 208,000 hectares (48%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
Is deforestation in Cuba getting worse?
Forest loss is slowing down: about 14,200 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 35,400 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 Cuba?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are farms, pasture and plantations (47%), storms, floods and other natural causes (24%), wildfires (16%). About 208,000 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 Cuba?
The worst year was 2016, when about 73,600 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 Cuba, 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.