Deforestation · 2001–2025
Deforestation in El Salvador
Since 2001, El Salvador has lost about 87,500 hectares of forest (about 120,000 football pitches): 8.8% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (98%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest in 2000
- 1,000,000 ha
- Forest lost since 2001
- 87,500 ha8.8% of it, about 120,000 football pitches
- Cleared for good
- 85,700 hadeforestation, 98% of the loss
- Worst year
- 20019,580 ha lost
Map
Where El Salvador has lost forest
Every square kilometre of El Salvador 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 El Salvador, year by year
Forest loss is slowing down: about 1,640 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 3,560 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2001, when about 9,580 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 | 9,490 ha | 95 ha | 9,580 ha |
| 2002 | 4,610 ha | 53 ha | 4,660 ha |
| 2003 | 5,990 ha | 60 ha | 6,050 ha |
| 2004 | 4,510 ha | 47 ha | 4,560 ha |
| 2005 | 5,860 ha | 61 ha | 5,920 ha |
| 2006 | 4,530 ha | 82 ha | 4,610 ha |
| 2007 | 2,910 ha | 49 ha | 2,960 ha |
| 2008 | 3,310 ha | 43 ha | 3,350 ha |
| 2009 | 4,260 ha | 52 ha | 4,310 ha |
| 2010 | 2,830 ha | 43 ha | 2,870 ha |
| 2011 | 3,190 ha | 50 ha | 3,240 ha |
| 2012 | 2,480 ha | 76 ha | 2,550 ha |
| 2013 | 2,030 ha | 40 ha | 2,070 ha |
| 2014 | 2,300 ha | 30 ha | 2,330 ha |
| 2015 | 2,360 ha | 44 ha | 2,410 ha |
| 2016 | 5,460 ha | 319 ha | 5,780 ha |
| 2017 | 4,720 ha | 104 ha | 4,820 ha |
| 2018 | 2,580 ha | 127 ha | 2,710 ha |
| 2019 | 2,220 ha | 27 ha | 2,250 ha |
| 2020 | 2,190 ha | 30 ha | 2,220 ha |
| 2021 | 1,450 ha | 42 ha | 1,500 ha |
| 2022 | 1,610 ha | 29 ha | 1,640 ha |
| 2023 | 1,650 ha | 154 ha | 1,800 ha |
| 2024 | 1,650 ha | 32 ha | 1,690 ha |
| 2025 | 1,520 ha | 80 ha | 1,600 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 El Salvador?
- 98%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 1.5%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- under 1%cause unknown
- Farms, pasture and plantations94% · 82,400 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for crops, cattle pasture or tree plantations: the biggest cause of deforestation in the world.
- Towns and roads3.8% · 3,290 ha
Cleared for good. Forest replaced by houses, buildings and roads.
Also, each under 1%: storms, floods and other natural causes, shifting farming, wildfires, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Ana | 3,020 ha | 16% | 3,020 ha |
| Apopa | 1,390 ha | 9.1% | 1,350 ha |
| Santa Tecla | 1,290 ha | 5.4% | 1,190 ha |
| Sonsonate | 996 ha | 6.3% | 987 ha |
| San Salvador | 869 ha | 5.2% | 849 ha |
| San Miguel | 858 ha | 9.8% | 833 ha |
| Usulután | 531 ha | 5.5% | 507 ha |
Satellite timelapses of cities in El Salvador
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 El Salvador
How much forest has El Salvador lost since 2001?
Since 2001, El Salvador has lost about 87,500 hectares of forest (about 120,000 football pitches): 8.8% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (98%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
Is deforestation in El Salvador getting worse?
Forest loss is slowing down: about 1,640 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 3,560 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 El Salvador?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are farms, pasture and plantations (94%), towns and roads (3.8%), storms, floods and other natural causes (under 1%). About 85,700 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 El Salvador?
The worst year was 2001, when about 9,580 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 El Salvador, 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.