Deforestation · 2001–2025
Deforestation in Haiti
Since 2001, Haiti has lost about 80,600 hectares of forest (about 110,000 football pitches): 9.4% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (57%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest in 2000
- 853,000 ha
- Forest lost since 2001
- 80,600 ha9.4% of it, about 110,000 football pitches
- Cleared for good
- 46,300 hadeforestation, 57% of the loss
- Worst year
- 201616,800 ha lost
Map
Where Haiti has lost forest
Every square kilometre of Haiti 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 Haiti, year by year
Forest loss is slowing down: about 2,200 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 6,750 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2016, when about 16,800 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 | 1,680 ha | 693 ha | 2,370 ha |
| 2002 | 1,480 ha | 591 ha | 2,070 ha |
| 2003 | 721 ha | 348 ha | 1,070 ha |
| 2004 | 1,720 ha | 649 ha | 2,370 ha |
| 2005 | 1,330 ha | 657 ha | 1,990 ha |
| 2006 | 768 ha | 339 ha | 1,110 ha |
| 2007 | 1,430 ha | 614 ha | 2,040 ha |
| 2008 | 1,500 ha | 563 ha | 2,060 ha |
| 2009 | 1,740 ha | 674 ha | 2,410 ha |
| 2010 | 1,450 ha | 593 ha | 2,040 ha |
| 2011 | 1,800 ha | 690 ha | 2,490 ha |
| 2012 | 2,700 ha | 1,400 ha | 4,110 ha |
| 2013 | 1,760 ha | 1,310 ha | 3,080 ha |
| 2014 | 2,000 ha | 1,710 ha | 3,710 ha |
| 2015 | 1,270 ha | 1,690 ha | 2,960 ha |
| 2016 | 9,800 ha | 6,960 ha | 16,800 ha |
| 2017 | 2,730 ha | 2,400 ha | 5,130 ha |
| 2018 | 2,170 ha | 1,760 ha | 3,930 ha |
| 2019 | 1,730 ha | 2,570 ha | 4,290 ha |
| 2020 | 1,690 ha | 1,930 ha | 3,620 ha |
| 2021 | 1,000 ha | 1,310 ha | 2,310 ha |
| 2022 | 751 ha | 1,010 ha | 1,760 ha |
| 2023 | 1,060 ha | 1,390 ha | 2,450 ha |
| 2024 | 1,100 ha | 1,250 ha | 2,340 ha |
| 2025 | 899 ha | 1,240 ha | 2,140 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 Haiti?
- 57%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 41%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- 1.4%cause unknown
- Farms, pasture and plantations54% · 43,700 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for crops, cattle pasture or tree plantations: the biggest cause of deforestation in the world.
- Shifting farming33% · 26,400 ha
Can grow back. Small patches cleared to grow crops for a few seasons, then left to grow back.
- Storms, floods and other natural causes5.8% · 4,640 ha
Can grow back. Trees killed by storms, floods, landslides, pests or disease.
- Wildfires2.4% · 1,920 ha
Can grow back. Forest burned. It often grows back, though fire is sometimes used to clear land for good.
- Towns and roads2.3% · 1,860 ha
Cleared for good. Forest replaced by houses, buildings and roads.
- Unknown causes1.4% · 1,150 ha
Cause unknown. The satellites saw the trees go, but not why.
Also, each under 1%: mining and energy, logging.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cap-Haïtien | 788 ha | 12% | 454 ha |
| Saint-Marc | 611 ha | 11% | 573 ha |
| Les Cayes | 472 ha | 20% | 391 ha |
| Port-de-Paix | 342 ha | 5.1% | 336 ha |
| Dessalines | 270 ha | 5.5% | 215 ha |
| Jacmel | 245 ha | 3.5% | 131 ha |
| Tigwav | 242 ha | 3.1% | 143 ha |
| Port-au-Prince | 176 ha | 3.7% | 166 ha |
| Croix-des-Bouquets | 104 ha | 8.8% | 98 ha |
| Léogâne | 90 ha | 1.9% | 66 ha |
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation in Haiti
How much forest has Haiti lost since 2001?
Since 2001, Haiti has lost about 80,600 hectares of forest (about 110,000 football pitches): 9.4% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (57%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
Is deforestation in Haiti getting worse?
Forest loss is slowing down: about 2,200 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 6,750 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 Haiti?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are farms, pasture and plantations (54%), shifting farming (33%), storms, floods and other natural causes (5.8%). About 46,300 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 Haiti?
The worst year was 2016, when about 16,800 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 Haiti, 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.