Deforestation · 2001–2025
Deforestation in Ethiopia
Since 2001, Ethiopia has lost about 559,000 hectares of forest (about 5,600 km²): 4.6% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (87%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest in 2000
- 12.1 million ha
- Forest lost since 2001
- 559,000 ha4.6% of it, about 5,600 km²
- Cleared for good
- 484,000 hadeforestation, 87% of the loss
- Worst year
- 201241,800 ha lost
Map
Where Ethiopia has lost forest
Every square kilometre of Ethiopia 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 Ethiopia, year by year
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 25,900 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 23,600 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2012, when about 41,800 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 | 10,200 ha | 1,830 ha | 12,000 ha |
| 2002 | 11,500 ha | 1,620 ha | 13,100 ha |
| 2003 | 12,500 ha | 1,480 ha | 14,000 ha |
| 2004 | 11,800 ha | 1,660 ha | 13,500 ha |
| 2005 | 13,900 ha | 2,060 ha | 15,900 ha |
| 2006 | 10,900 ha | 1,260 ha | 12,100 ha |
| 2007 | 23,800 ha | 1,890 ha | 25,700 ha |
| 2008 | 22,200 ha | 1,910 ha | 24,100 ha |
| 2009 | 27,100 ha | 2,330 ha | 29,400 ha |
| 2010 | 18,000 ha | 2,310 ha | 20,300 ha |
| 2011 | 14,000 ha | 1,490 ha | 15,500 ha |
| 2012 | 38,600 ha | 3,230 ha | 41,800 ha |
| 2013 | 26,600 ha | 4,390 ha | 31,000 ha |
| 2014 | 27,600 ha | 5,260 ha | 32,900 ha |
| 2015 | 8,920 ha | 1,400 ha | 10,300 ha |
| 2016 | 16,800 ha | 2,890 ha | 19,700 ha |
| 2017 | 31,000 ha | 4,560 ha | 35,600 ha |
| 2018 | 16,000 ha | 2,970 ha | 19,000 ha |
| 2019 | 22,500 ha | 3,210 ha | 25,700 ha |
| 2020 | 15,300 ha | 2,770 ha | 18,100 ha |
| 2021 | 17,100 ha | 2,700 ha | 19,800 ha |
| 2022 | 17,300 ha | 2,780 ha | 20,000 ha |
| 2023 | 30,100 ha | 6,340 ha | 36,400 ha |
| 2024 | 22,400 ha | 5,640 ha | 28,100 ha |
| 2025 | 18,200 ha | 6,940 ha | 25,100 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 Ethiopia?
- 87%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 11%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- 2.5%cause unknown
- Farms, pasture and plantations85% · 473,000 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for crops, cattle pasture or tree plantations: the biggest cause of deforestation in the world.
- Logging4.8% · 27,000 ha
Can grow back. Trees cut for timber or paper. The land usually stays forest and grows back.
- Shifting farming4.7% · 26,000 ha
Can grow back. Small patches cleared to grow crops for a few seasons, then left to grow back.
- Mining and energy1% · 5,700 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for mines, oil and gas, power lines and dams.
- Unknown causes2.5% · 14,100 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, wildfires.
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.
Regions that lost the most
| Region | Forest lost | Share of its forest | Cleared for good |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oromiya | 278,000 ha | 5% | 244,000 ha |
| Amhara | 3,470 ha | 3% | 1,430 ha |
| Addis Ababa | 366 ha | 50% | 29 ha |
| Tigray | 264 ha | 5.5% | 32 ha |
| Somali | 182 ha | 24% | 144 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Addis Ababa | 757 ha | 49% | 60 ha |
| Nek’emtē | 737 ha | 9.8% | 509 ha |
| Shashamane | 736 ha | 50% | 425 ha |
| Jimma | 668 ha | 9.1% | 202 ha |
| Burayu | 390 ha | 30% | 66 ha |
| Dīla | 224 ha | 1.3% | 202 ha |
| Sebeta | 200 ha | 21% | 2 ha |
| Āsela | 194 ha | 11% | 150 ha |
| Arba Minch | 106 ha | 2.9% | 59 ha |
| Awasa | 77 ha | 9.9% | 75 ha |
Satellite timelapses of cities in Ethiopia
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 Ethiopia
How much forest has Ethiopia lost since 2001?
Since 2001, Ethiopia has lost about 559,000 hectares of forest (about 5,600 km²): 4.6% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (87%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
Is deforestation in Ethiopia getting worse?
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 25,900 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 23,600 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 Ethiopia?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are farms, pasture and plantations (85%), logging (4.8%), shifting farming (4.7%). About 484,000 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 Ethiopia?
The worst year was 2012, when about 41,800 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 Ethiopia, 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.